Collection  of  American  ^Literature 

3BcqucaIbr6  to 

Cfje  ILibvavp  of  ttjc  Bnibersitp  of 
i^ortfj  Carolina 


'He  gave  back  as  rain  that  which  he 
received  as  mist" 

59G. 


C.2, 


i|'"''|'''nr''!'|ip|T!'ii|i:i|iffl 

00032761039 

This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


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vi 

4 


J 


JOHN  M.   MORKHEAD, 
INTKRNAI.  IMPROVEMKNT  GOVERNOR  OF   NORTH   OROLINA. 


THE 

IISTORY  OF  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 


sallif:  w.  s'iy)ckari), 

A.    n.  (IS'JT,  C^uilford  College),  A.  H.  (18'W,   University  of    Noitli 
CaroliiKi),  A.  M.  (l«JXt,  University  of  North  Carolina.) 


'O  WDUlil  that  my  oncmy  ml^tit  write  a  book."  -Job. 


Knoxvillx,  Tknn.: 
Co.,  I'kimteks  and  Book  Binhehs. 

1110  2. 


To 

Col.  James  Turner  Morehead, 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  D.  Alclver, 

Col.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Osborn. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  Lyndon  Hobbs, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Wyatt  Armfield, 

Major  and  Mrs.  Joseph  M.  Morehead, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  ^loore  Scales, 

Mrs   McAdoo-King  and  her  children, 

Prof.  P.  P.  Claxton  and  P<-of.  J.  Y.  Joyner. 

To 

Guilford  County,  her  historic  lore, 

her  glorious  past,  and  her 
wealth  of  promise  for  the  future. 


Copyright,   1902, 

by 

SALLIE  W.   STOCKARU. 


"Rejoice  wc  arc  allied 
To  That  wliich  doth  provide 
And  not  partake,  effect  and  not  receive! 
A  spark  disturbs  our  clod ; 
Nearer  we  hold  of  God 
Who  gives,  than  of  His  tribe  that  takes,  I  must  believe. 

Tlien,  welcome  each  rebuff 

That  turns  earth's  smoothness  rough. 

Each  sting  that  bids  not  sit  nor  stand,  but  go ! 

Be  our  joys  three  parts  pain! 

Strive,  and  hold  cheap  the  strain ; 

Learn,  nor  account  the  pang;  dare,  never  grudge  the  throe. 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 


C?IAPTER  I.           Guilford  County,  Its  Establishment ii 

CHAPTER  II.         The  Slttlement 13 

CHAPTER  III.        Prerevolutionary  Land  Grants 20 

CHAPTER  IV.  The  Part  of  Guilford  in  the  Revolution.  24 

CHAPTER  V.          "^Iinute  Packet,"  i782-'S8 33 

CHAPTER  VI.  Notes  from  the  Minute  Docket,  1796-1811  40 

CHAPTER  VII.      The  Slavery  Question 46 

CHAPTER  VIII.  The  Part  of  Guilford  in  the  Civil  War.  . .  52 

CHAPTER  IX.        Industrial  Development  55 

CHAPTER  X.          History  of  Education  in  Guilford 7-7 

CHAPTER  XL        History  of  Religion  in  Guilford 114 

CP[APTER  XII.  The  Towns  of  Guiliord  and  History  of 

Families 132 


PREFACE. 


Histon-  relates  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  human  spirit. 
History  is  the  story  of  what  has  been  done.  It  shows  the  free  play 
of  reason,  and  is  mind  objectified  into  strenuous,  potential,  fruitful 
activity. 

Guilford  County  is  the  heart  of  Piedmont  North  Carolina. 
Once  it  was  the  hunting-ground  over  which  the  Catawba  Indian 
chased  the  buffalo  and  built  his  wigwam  fires  by  the  many  whis- 
pering streams.  By  right  of  discovery  the  Spanish  claimed  pos- 
session until  England  assumed  her  place  as  mistress  of  the  seas. 
In  1776  the  British  Colonies  of  America  declared  their  power  of 
self-government.  Old  Mecklenburg  of  North  Carolina  was  the 
first  to  raise  the  flag  of  Independence.  In  1861  North  Carolina 
withdrew  from  the  United  States  to  become  one  of  the  Confederate 
States  of  America,  and  the  star  of  destiny  shone  red  above  her. 
In  five  years  the  Old  North  State  was  again  admitted  into  the 
I'nion.  In  the  galaxy  of  nations  the  United  States  of  America 
takes  her  place  as  the  honored  of  all  the  world. 

Guilford  County  is  midway  between  the  mountains  and  the 
sea.  Greensboro,  the  County  seat,  is  a  city  of  twenty-two  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  situated  a  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  midway 
in  the  state  from  Raleigh  and  Charlotte,  Asheville  and  Wilming- 
ton.   High  Point  is  twelve  miles  south  of  Greensboro. 

Guilford  is  the  typical  Piedmont  region.  From  her  broad- 
backed  ridges  many  creeks  and  rivers  rise.  Near  the  swell  of 
land.  C)ak  Ridge,  two  of  the  largest  rivers  of  the  state  have  their 
origin.     Here  the  upper  waters  of  the  Dan  of  the  Roanoke,  and 


6  PREFACE. 

of  Deep  River  and  Haw  River  of  the  Cape  Fear,  almost  inter- 
mingle in  the  loving  gambols  of  childlike  springs.  The  Great 
Alamance,  the  Little  Alamance  and  the  Stinking  Quarter  Creeks 
also  have  their  source  in  this  County.  These  waters  turn  more 
cotton-mill  wheels  than  any  other  in  North  Carolina. 

Guilford  County  has  an  almost  uniform  soil  and  forest 
growth'.  Oak,  hickory,  walnut,  persimmon  and  maple  abound. 
The  soil  of  the  wide  ridges  is  of  yellow,  sandy,  gravelly  loam 
underlaid  by  a  yellow  and  red  clay. 

The  southern  part  of  the  County  belongs  to  the  cotton  zone ; 
the  western  part  to  the  tobacco  zone.  Guilford  is  the  wheat- 
growing  and  fruit-raising  County  of  the  State.  Before  the  War 
mining  was  carried  on  profitably.  Gold  and  copper  are  found  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Southern  Railway,  which  bisects  the  County, 
and  iron  on  the  north  side. 

Guilford  County  is  rectangular,  28  miles  east  and  west,  24 
miles  north  and  south.  There  are  eighteen  townships,  namely: 
Oak  Ridge,  Summerfield,  Center  Grove,  Monroe,  Madison,  Wash- 
ington, Deep  River,  Friendship,  Morehead,  Gilmer,  Jefferson, 
Rock  Creek,  High  Point,  Jamestown,  Sumner,  Fentress,  Clay 
and  Green. 

In  regard  to  the  people  of  this  County  succeeding  chapters 
will  show.  How  really  to  know  them  is  by  experience.  In  no 
way  does  one  come  closer  to  understanding  them  than  by  writing 
the  history  of  their  county. 

In  the  history  of  Guilford  County  only  four  dates  have  any- 
thing like  a  general  value.  These  are:  1750,  when  the  first  settle- 
ment was  made;  1774,  when  the  Quakers  freed  their  slaves  and 
began  to  agitate  the  slavery  question;  1840,  when  the  Whig  idea 
attained  supremacy  and  the  internal  improvement  and  educational 
wave  began  to  break  over  the  country;  and  1865,  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War.  Around  these  dates  each  of  these  ideas  has 
hovered  like  a  shadow  with  a  penumbra  fainter  and  fainter  in 
efifect. 


PREFACE.  7 

However  absurd  and  unpatriotic  it  may  seem  to  some  rich 
people,  I  undertook  this  work  as  a  business  enterprise  and  I  hoped 
to  earn  sonic  money  out  of  it. 

1  hope  this  work  will  awaken  in  the  younp  people  a  deeper 
interest  in  the  land  they  live  in.  I  wish  to  sec  a  buildinjr,  commo- 
dious and  imposinp^,  erected  at  the  State  Normal  College  for  the 
purpose  of  preservings  the  history  of  North  Carolina,  the  relics 
which  show  the  life  and  the  development  of  the  people  of  this 
state.  The  State  Historical  Society,  the  Colonial  Dames,  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Daug^htcrs  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  other  historical  orp^anizations  would  be  interested  in 
having  such  a  building,  fire-proof  and  secure,  as  a  receptacle  for 
this  objective  teaching  of  history.  A  hall  for  this  purpose  will  be 
erected  somewhere  soon  or  late. 

The  portraits  of  Governor  John  M.  Morehead,  Judge  Gil- 
mer. Governor  Scales,  Judge  R.  P.  Dick,  Dr.  Calvin  H.  Wiley, 
Dr.  J.  Henry  Smith  and  some  others  would  be  an  adornment 
for  the  Greensboro  Public  Library.  A  statue  of  John  M.  More- 
head  will  perhaps  some  time  be  erected  near  the  depot  of  the 
Southern  Railway  in  Greensboro,  to  commemorate  the  name  of 
him  who  did  more  for  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  than  anv 
other,  and  thus  hastened  industrial  activity  in  the  state.  It  would 
beautify  the  square  on  which  the  courthouse  is  situated  if  walks 
were  laid  off,  grass  plots  and  flower  beds  were  made,  over  which 
beautiful  fountains  played.  The  fine  old  Roman  roads  in  Eng- 
land were  the  beginning  of  her  civilization  and  prosperity.  Such 
macadam  roads  as  lead  out  from  Summer  Avenue  in  Greensboro, 
if  they  were  all  through  the  County,  would  be  a  credit  to  any 
people.  It  would  be  an  honor  to  Guilford  if  every  school-house 
in  her  borders  was  made  attractive  without  and  within.  Horti- 
culture should  be  taught  in  the  public  schools. 

The  Audubon  Society,  organized  through  the  interest  and 
energ>'  of  Prof.  T.  Gilbert  Pearson,  of  the  State  Normal  College, 
for  the  study  and  preservation  of  birds,  is  an  advance  both  indus- 


8  PREFACE. 

trially  and  educationally ;  birds  affect  agriculture  and  the  natural 
products  of  a  country ;  this  society  creates  the  love  and  study  of 
natural  history. 

The  organization  of  the  Society  for  the  Improvement  and 
Beautifying  the  Public  Schools  in  North  Carolina,  during  the 
spring  term  of  1902  at  the  State  Normal  College,  is  an  advance- 
ment to  the  cause  of  education.  Miss  Laura  Kirby,  of  Goldsboro, 
is  its  president.  The  plan  of  the  society  is  to  organize  the  women 
throughout  the  State  in  this  movement. 

The  Southern  Education  Board,  of  which  Mr.  Robert  C. 
Ogden  is  chairman,  has  inaugurated  the  greatest  philanthropic 
movement  this  country  has  probably  known  in  its  history.  The 
Civil  War  left  the  South  impoverished.  This  body  of  men  of  both 
North  and  South  have  come  together  for  the  sake  of  humanity  to 
do  what  can  be  done  for  the  education  of  the  Southern  youth  for 
the  development  and  salvation  of  America. 

The  History  of  Guilford  County  was  undertaken  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  several  prominent  men  of  this  County.  Its  accomplish- 
ment is  largely  due  to  Mr.  Victor  Clay  McAdoo.  My  thanks  are 
due  Col.  James  T.  Morehead,  Dr.  Charles  D.  Mclver,  Mr.  A.  M. 
Scales  and  Mr.  V.  C.  McAdoo  for  presenting  the  interests  of  this 
book  before  the  County  Board  of  Trustees.  Upon  their  request 
the  Board  granted  one  hundred  dollars.  To.  Col.  Morehead,  Mr. 
Scales,  Prof.  J.  Y.  Joyner,  Prof.  W.  C.  Smith,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Hobbs 
and  others  I  wish  to  make  grateful  acknowledgment  for  reading 
various  parts  of  the  manuscript.  The  excellent  library  of  the 
Greensboro  Female  College  has  been  of  service  to  me.  Prof.  P.  P. 
Claxton  has  given  some  very  helpful  suggestions.  To  Hon.  W. 
H.  Ragan,  as  Chairman  of  the  County  Board  of  Trustees,  and  to 
Col.  W.  H.  Osborn,  as  Mayor  of  Greensboro,  I  express  my  thanks. 

This  book  may  be  severely  criticised.  A  chapter  from  the 
Kingdom  of  Glory  would  be  distasteful  to  some  folks.  The  writ- 
ing of  this  history,  the  collection  of  the  data,  and  getting  up  the 
subscriptions,  has  indeed  been  hard  work.    This  has  been  no  child's 


PREFACE.  9 

l)lay.  The  writing  of  local  history  is  truly  arduous.  It  is  hard  to 
write  history,  hardest  of  all  to  write  local  history.  Advice  has 
not  been  wanting.  May  all  the  good  live  immortal  and  all  the  bad 
be  buried. 

S.VLLIK  W.M.KER  StoCK.VRD. 

Greensboro,  N.  C,  1902. 


JUDGE  JOHN  A.  CII.MER, 

I.A\VYER.   SOLDIER.   STATESMAN. 

SEE  PAGE   1/2. 


HISTORY  OF  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 
NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GUILFORD    COUNTY ITS    ESTABLISHMENT. 

Guilford  County  was  erected  in  1770  by  an  Act  of  the  General 
Assembly  then  in  session  at  Xcwbern.  The  Act  crcatinj;^  it  reads 
as  follows : 

"An  Act  for  erecting  a  new  County  between  the  Towns  of  Salisbury 
and  Hillsboro,  by  taking  part  of  the  Counties  of  Rowan  and  Orange. 

I.  irhi-rcas,  the  great  Extent  of  the  respective  Counties  of  Rowan 
and  Orange,  render  the  attendance  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Part  of  Rowan 
County,  and  the  Inhabitants  of  the  upper  Part  of  Orange  County,  to  do 
public  Duties  in  their  respective  Counties,  extremely  difficult  and  expen- 
sive :     For  Remedy  whereof. 

II.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Governor,  Council,  and  .Assembly,  and  by  the 
.\uthority  of  the  same.  That  a  Line  beginning  at  a  Point  twenty-five  Miles 
due  West  of  Hillsborough,  running  thence  North  to  the  Virginia  Line,  then 
West  to  a  Point  due  North  of  the  Painted  Springs,  then  South  to  Anson 
Line,  then  along  .Anson  and  Cumberland  Lines  to  a  Point  due  South  of  the 
Beginning,  then  North  to  the  Beginning,  be  erected  into  a  distinct  County 
by  the  name  of  Guilford  County,  and  Unity  Parish." 

This  is  accompanied  by  a  foot-note  which  says:  "The  (^ripi- 
nals  being  missinc;." 

The  Act  is  copied  from  the  Laws  of  North  Carolina,  printed 
in  1791  by  J.  A.  Iredell,  "Anno  Rej^^ni  Georgii  III..  Regis  Magn?e 
Britannijc,  Franciie,  &  Hibcrni?c,  Undecimo." 

The  new  county  was  called  Guilford  in  honor  of  Lord  North, 
the  Earl  of  Guilford,  who  was  a  Tory,  King  George  IIL's  Prime 
Minister,  and  "one  who  bowed  to  the  roval  will,  and  endeavored  to 


12  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

carry  out  George  Ill's  favorite  policy  of  'governing  for,  but  never 
by,  the  people.'  " 

This  new  county  was  strongly  \\'hig.  Dr.  David  Caldwell, 
Alexander  Martin,  six  times  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  General 
Gillespie,  James  Hunter  and  William  Rankin  were  Whigs  of  no 
uncertain  soundings.  This  was  the  hotbed  of  the  Regulation 
movement.  The  people  of  Orange  and  Rowan  petitioned  the 
Legislature  requesting  that  among  various  reforms  relating  to 
taxes,  fees,  etc.,  an  Act  be  passed  "to  divide  the  county."* 

Therefore  Guilford  County  was  erected,  a  concession  to  the 
Regulators.  As  Guilford  was  established  at  the  request  of  such 
wilful  Whigs,  why  was  it  called  by  the  name  of  the  English 
premier  ?  It  seems  quite  human  to  cover  the  point  of  yielding  with 
the  name  of  the  High  Priest  of  the  Tories.  Perhaps  it  was  to 
inspire  loyalty  to  the  King's  policy.  The  tone  of  that  Legislature 
was  Tory,  Tryon  was  governor.    Did  he  name  Guilford  ? 

Guilford  County  has  always  been  Whig  in  principle.  Internal 
improvements,  public  education  and  industrial  development  are 
Whig  ideas. 

Randolph  County  was  formed,  in  1779,  from  Guilford,  and 
named  in  complim.ent  to  the  Randolph  family  in  Virginia,  dis- 
tinguished for  patriotism  and  talents.     (See  Wheeler's  History.) 

Rockingham  County  was  formed,  in  1785,  from  Guilford 
County,  and  named  for  Charles  Watson  Wentworth,  ]\Iarquis  of 
Rockingham,  a  distinguished  friend  of  America  in  the  English 
Parliament,  who  acted  with  William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham,  in 
opposition  to  Lord  North.  He  was  premier  of  England  in  1782. 
(See  Wheeler's  History.) 

It  appears  that  the  dividing  of  the  County  of  Guilford  from 
Orange  and  Rowan  was  a  political  division  for  the  purpose  of 
separating  the  "Insurgents  from  Orange  and  left  them  in  Guil- 
ford." "The  spirit  of  the  Revolution  was  twin-born  with  the 
County  of  Guilford."  f 

*  See  North  Carolina  Colonial  Records,  Vol.  VIIL,  Preface,  pp.  xvii-xviii. 
•hSee  the  Oration  of  Maj.Jos.  M.  Morehead  on  "James  Hunter." 


NORTH  CAROLISA.  13 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    SETTLEMENT. 

About  1/49  t'lt^  fij"^^  settlers  came  to  this  section.  At  that 
time  a  heavy  stream  of  nii<jration  was  pourinpf  into  North  Caro- 
lina. In  the  portion  of  the  State  marked  by  the  present  towns  of 
Greensboro.  Salisbury.  Concord  and  Charlotte,  the  Scotch-Irish 
and  German  settled. 

To  the  territory  now  known  as  Guilford  County  people  repre- 
senting: three  nations,  the  Scotch-Irish,  the  German  exiles  from 
the  Palatine  and  the  Eng^lish  Quakers,  came.  These  people  were 
dissenters  seckiuii:  reliijious  liberty  as  well  as  homes  for  wives  and 
children.  From  the  colony  of  William  Penn.  where  they  had  first 
set  foot  on  American  soil,  they  passed  on  through  Virginia,  where 
the  Church  of  England  was  already  established,  and  traveled 
through  a  wild  country  to  a  milder  climate  and  the  freedom  of 
forest  and  river  to  be  found  in  Piedmont  North  Carolina.  In  the 
beautiful  scope  of  country  that  later  became  Guilford  County  these 
three  peoples  settled,  building  their  homes  amid  the  fertile,  rolling 
plains  and  wide  ridges  of  Middle  Carolina.  The  houses,  manners 
and  customs  of  the  lands  they  had  left  were  soon  firmly  fixed  upon 
the  new  country. 

■  In  central  Guilford  the  Scotch-Irish  settled:  in  east  Guilford 
the  Gennans  built  their  homes;  while  in  west  Guilford  the  English 
Quakers  took  up  their  abode.  A  band  of  Welsh  also  came  to  this 
section. 

In  central  Guilford  were:  the  Archers,  the  Hrannocks,  the 

ells,  the  Dennys,  the  Donnells.  the  Foulkes,  the  Gillespies, 

Gorrells,  the  Hunters,  the  Kerners,  the  Lindsays,  the  McAdoos, 

the  McMikels,  the  Osbornes,  the  Stokes,  the   Sanders  and  the 


^f  ytaldw 
Jv//the  Go 


14  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Weatherlys.  (Mr.  Robert  ]\I.  Sloan  of  Greensboro  is  authority  for 
this.) 

In  east  Guilford  were:  the  Albrights,  the  Clapps.  the  Cobbs, 
the  Cobles,  the  Fousts,  the  Holts,  the  Keims,  the  Linebergers,  the 
Sharps,  the  Shoffners,  the  Straders,  the  Summers,  the  Reitzells, 
the  Whitsells,  the  Whitsetts  and  the  Wyricks. 

In  west  Guilford  were;  the  Armfields,  the  Beasons,  the  Chip- 
mans,  the  Coffins,  the  Elliotts,  the  Edwards,  the  Gardners,  the 
Horneys,  the  Mendenhalls,  the  Pughs,  the  Starbucks,  the  Stan- 
leys, the  Welborns. 

One  band  of  Scotch-Irish  came  from  Lancaster  Coimty,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  another  poured  into  the  province  by  way  of  Charleston,. 
South  Carolina.  These  two  streams  met  in  central  Guilford.  A 
company  called  the  Nottingham  Company  of  Pennsylvania  bought 
a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  Buffalo  and  Reedy  Fork  Creeks.  ( See 
Life  of  Caldwell.)  These  were  the  blue-stocking  Presbyterians. 
On  the  headwaters  of  the  Alamance  the  *  followers  of  Whitfield 
built  their  homes.  Old  Alamance  Church  was  the  nucleus  of  the 
neighborhood. 

"From  the  stock  of  Scotch-Irish  in  the  north  of  Ireland,"  say 
Hawks,  Swain  and  Graham  in  their  History  of  the  Revolution^ 
page  51,  "came  the  Carolina  immigrants.  They  reached  the  place 
of  their  settlement  by  two  different  avenues  of  approach ;  the  one 
portion  came  to  America  by  the  Delaware  River,  landing  in  Phila- 
delphia ;  the  other  touched  our  shores  at  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina. They  struck  into  the  fertile  country  of  Virginia,  and  in 
Carolina  the  two  tides  of  migration  met.  The  line  of  their  settle- 
ments across  the  whole  state  from  North  Carolina  to  Virginia  may 
be  traced  through  Charlotte,  Concord,  Salisbury,  Lexington, 
Greensboro,  Milton  and  the  head  waters  of  the  Roanoke."  "Our 
forefathers,"  says  Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley  in  his  address  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Alamance  Church,  "came  not  as  adventurers  or  hunters, 
not  as  outlaws  and  wanderers,  but  as  intelligent  men,  with  good 

•  These  were  Presbyterians  who  had  been  influenced  to  emotionalism  by  John  Wesley. 


NORTH  CAROLIS'A.  1& 

worldly  substance,  with  nct-dod  inii)lemcnts  of  industry,  with  civi- 
lizati«m  and  the  church." 

The  characteristics  of  the  Scotch-Irish  are  mainly  noticeable 
in  tbouirht-inovenients.  From  this  stock  have  come  our  public 
men.  soldiers,  politicians,  statesmen,  ai^itators.  Morehead.  Gilmer, 
Wiley  were  Scotch-Irish.  In  the  first  battle  for  American  rij^hts, 
that  of  Alamance,  in  1771.  and  the  last  decisive  battle  of  the  Revo- 
lution, that  of  Guilford  Courthouse,  of  1781,  the  Scotch-Irish  were 
most  prominent. 

The  Germans,  who  settled  east  of  the  Scotch-Irish,  had 
come  from  the  Palatine,  driven  by  the  scourge  of  war  from 
what  was  once  their  happy  home.  Up  the  Rhine  from 
Cologne  the  Thirty  Years'  War  had  left  terrible  devastation. 
Thousands  of  these  people  came  to  America  upon  William  Penn's 
invitation.  With  them  they  brought  that  love  of  domestic  life  so 
marked  a  characteristic  of  the  race.  For  many  years  their  German 
speech  excluded  them  from  public  offices,  but  they  were  among 
the  fighters  in  the  Regulation  War  and  among  the  Whigs  of  the 
Revolution.  Their  manners  and  customs  are  German,  their  old 
German  F>ibles  and  text-books  are  extant. 

Unlike  both  German  and  Scotch-Irish  was  the  Quaker  in  his 
territory  in  western  Guilford.  It  is  this  element  which  makes  the 
history  of  Guilford  unique  in  North  Carolina.  The  Scotch-Irish 
and  Gennan  may  be  found  in  many  other  counties  in  the  state ; 
but  not  these  three  together.  In  the  conjunction  of  these  a  clash- 
ing of  ideas  came  about  which  has  made  history.  In  the  question 
of  slavery  Guilford  County  history  is  vital  not  only  in  this  State 
but  touches  national  life  as  well.  The  aggravating  element  kept 
the  Scotch-Irish  mind  active.  Out  of  the  active  Scotch-Irish  mind 
came  the  impulse  for  internal  improvements  in  North  Carolina. 

In  England.  Quaker  and  Presbyterian  had  alike  suffered  re- 
ligious persecution.     They  were  impelled  by  the  same  purpose  to 

NoT»:  InUmeoflhe  Revolution  and  before  it,  William  Rankin  lived  in  Guilford  on  the 
North  Buffalo;  Walter  Dennv  lived  near  by;  Col.  Daniel  and  Col.  John  Gilletpie,  Ralph 
Gorrell,  Hantz  Mc Bride  and  John  Thorn  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Greenaboro;  Jamei  Hunter, 
Robert  Bruce,  Jamea  .Mendenhall  and  Henry  Ballinger  lived  north  and  west  of  Greensboro 


16  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

gain  for  themselves  new  homes  and  freedom  to  worship  as  they 
chose.  About  the  same  time,  and  probably  together,  they  had 
journeyed  to  Guilford  County.  Though  they  had  much  in  com- 
mon they  v.'ere  yet  unlike.  In  the  Quaker  settlement  the  hip-roofed 
houses  and  the  various  crafts  are  manifestations  of  English  train- 
ing. Besides  the  Quakers  who  came  from  Pennsylvania  about 
1749,  a  band  of  Nantucket  Quakers  came  to  this  territory  in  1771 : 
another  band  of  emigrant  Quakers  came  here  from  eastern 
North  Carolina ;  others  still  were  of  Welsh  extraction.  Among 
these  last  were  the  Benbows,  Brittains,  Hoskins  and  others. 

The  followmg,  taken  from  S.  B.  Weeks'  ''Southern  Quakers," 
pages  107-108,  gives  us  some  interesting  information  concerning 
the  Guilford  Count}'  Quakers : 

"The  island  of  Nantucket  being  small  and  its  soil  not  very  produc- 
tive, a  large  number  of  people  could  not  be  supported  thereupon.  The 
population  of  the  island  still  increasing,  many  of  the  citizens  turned  their 
attention  to  other  parts  and  removed  elsewhere.  A  while  before  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  a  considerable  colony  of  Friends  removed  and  settled  at 
New  Garden,  in  Guilford  County,  N.  C.  William  Coffin  (1720-1803)  was 
one  of  the  number  that  thus  removed  about  1773.  Obed  ^Slacy,  writing  of 
the  period  about  1760.  says  that  because  of  the  failure  of  the  whale  fishery 
some  went  to  N^ew  Garden,  N.  C.  About  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution, 
because  of  derangement  of  their  business  by  the  war,  some  went  to  New 
York  and  North  Carolina. 

"In  1764,  Friends  had  begun  investigations  to  find  out  who  were  the 
original  Indian  owners  of  their  new  homes,  in  order  that  they  might  pay 
them  for  the  land,  as  they  were  trying  to  do  at  Hopewell,  Va.  It  was 
reported  that  the  New  Garden  section  belonged  to  the  Cheraws,  who  had 
been  since  much  reduced  and  lived  with  the  'Catoppyes,'  Catawbas.  In 
1780  two-thirds  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nantucket  were  Quakers.  Among 
their  leaders  were  the  Coffins,  Starbucks,  Folgers.  Barnards,  Husseys. 

■'During  a  period  of  five  years  there  were  no  less  than  forty-one  cer- 
tificates recorded  at  New  Garden  Monthly  Meeting  from  Nantucket  out 
of  a  total  of  fifty  certificates  received. 

'In  this  number  there  were  eleven  families,  including  many  that  have 
since  been  prominent  in  Guilford  County.  Among  them  were :  Libni 
Coffin,  William  Coffin,  Jr.,  William,  Barnabas,  Seth  (and  wife),  Samuel 
(and  family),  Peter  and  Joseph  Coffin;  Jethro  Macy,  David.  Enoch,  Na- 


iVO/v'77/  CAROLINA.  17 

thaniel.  Paul  (and  family).  Matthew  (and  five  children)  and  Joseph  Macy ; 
William.  Gayer.  Paul  (and  family),  and  William  Starbuck;  Richard,  Wil- 
Ii:im,  Stephen  and  Stephen  Gardner;  Tristrim.  Francis  and  Timothy  Bar- 
nard; Daniel.  Francis  and  Jonah  Worth;  John  VVickersham.  William 
Recce.  Jonathan  Gifford.  Reuhen  Bunker.  Nathaniel  Swain,  Thomas 
Dixon  " 

The  Pennsylvania  and  Xantucket  Quakers  did  not  mingle  and 
inter-irarry  with  the  Scotch-Irish,  whose  whole  modus  vivendi 
was  the  opposite  of  their  own. 

Ahnost  all  the  members  of  the  denomination  at  the  present 
day  who  are  "birth  rij^ht,"  can  trace  their  descent  from  one  or 
both  of  these  sources,  and  those  who  cong^ratulate  themselves  upon 
their  Xantucket  origin  may  be  interested  in  the  followinjr  doggerel 
which  was  supposed  tersely  to  describe  those  same  ancestors. 

The  Rays  and  Russells  coopers  are, 

The  knowing  Folgers  lazy. 

A  lying  Coleman  very  rare. 

And  scarce  a  learned  Hussey. 

The  Coffins  noisy,  fractious.  loud, 

The  silent  Gardners  plodding. 

The  Mitchells  good, 

The  Bakers  proud, 

The  Macys  cat  the  pudding. 

The  Lovetts  stalwart,  brave  and  stern. 

The  Starbucks  wild  and  vain. 

The  Quakers  steady,  mild  and  calm. 

The  bwains  sea-faring  men, 

And  the  jolly  Worths  go  sailing  down  the  wind. 

In  a  letter  of  Tryon  to  the  Board  of  Trade.  August.  1766 
(Col.  Rec,  \'ol.  7,  page  248),  he  said: 

"I  am  of  opinion  that  this  province  is  settling  faster  than  any 
on  the  continent.     Last  autumn  and  winter  upwards  of  one  thou- 

iKi.^i**V'    i?i*"  •?"■'«'  r°r*'""  "'"*»'«  county,  even  within  our  preMnt  boundaries,  was  at 
Ih.t  Ume   wilhoul   white  inhabitant..     The  bcauuful  middle  region  was  the  hi^hwav  of 

DrW^e;°T.ad^«^„"^7'""'"°^•^ '-■;■"''   V^'f'J""  ^.'''*  '^^   lndian,we.t.''nd.'uth. 
Ur.  Wilej   s  acldrew  on  Alamance  Church.  »ce  al»o  Record*  at  Salisbury  .N    C     bk»   1.7   at 

^fte^'w:r7.  wentwV."'."""'    "'"   '    "'"••^'"    """"•     '^'""^   °'    Iboie'^who   LVttled   here 


18  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

sand  wagons  passed  through  Salisbury  with  families  from  the 
northward,  to  settle  in  this  province  chiefly ;  some  few  went  to 
Georgia  and  Florida,  but  liked  it  so  indifferently  that  some  of  them 
have  since  returned. 

•  "The  dispatch  of  patents  I  have  granted  since  my  administra- 
tion will  show  to  your  Lordships  the  great  increase  of  settlers  in 
the  western  or  back  counties.  These  inhabitants  are  a  people  dif- 
fering in  health  and  complexion  from  the  natives  in  the  maritime 
parts  of  the  province,  as  much  as  a  sturdy  Briton  differs  from  a 
puny  Spaniard." 

Governor  Try  on  regarded  this  territory  "as  of  great  value, 
being  perhaps  the  best  lands  on  this  continent,  particularly  Her- 
man Husbands',  who  had  (in  May,  1771)  on  his  plantation  about 
fifty  acres  of  as  fine  wheat  as  perhaps  ever  grew,  with  clover 
meadows  equal  to  any  in  the  Northern  Colonies."  (Col.  Rec,  Vol. 
8,  page  615.) 

These  people  did  not  live  in  crude  log  cabins.  Many  of  them 
had  comfortable  homes,  hiproof ed,  with  dormer  windows,  built  of 
brick  or  frame  material.  They  had  wealth ;  they  loved  beauty. 
All  worked,  continually  stirring  from  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  late  at  night.  Industry  at  length  brought  luxury  and  plenty. 
They  were  a  pastoral  and  agricultural  people  such  as  good  living 
never  spoils,  but,  on  the  contrary,  develops  in  them  spirit  and 
energy. 

Spacious  fields  of  wheat,  corn,  buckwheat  and  patches  of 
flax  and  cotton  surrounded  their  homes.  Sometimes  a  hundred 
bee  hives  added  another  charm  to  the  garden,  with  its  lilacs,  roses, 
sweet  lavender  and  daisies. 

The  home  itself  was  like  a  colony  of  bees  in  which  there  were 
no  drones.  It  was  a  custom  that  no  young  woman  should  marry 
until  she  possessed  forty  or  more  bed-quilts,  counterpanes  and 

Note:  These  Nantucket  settlers  were  not  the  first  Friends  to  come  to  North  Carolina, 
and  it  is  likely  that  Henry  Phillips,  who,  in  1665,  came  to  Albemarle  from  New  England, 
was  seeking  a  refuge  from  the  tyranny  of  Massachusetts,where  Friends  suffered  martyrdom 
on  Boston  Common. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  19 

snowy  sheets  that  she  had  made  herself.  These  articles  of  her 
handiwork  she  embroidered  with  all  sorts  of  needlework. 

The  women  wove  for  the  whole  family,  tow  shirts,  barndoor 
breeches  and  silken  p^owns.  They  sold  p^reat  quantities  of  cloth, 
wajj:onloads  of  butter,  cheese  and  honey.  They  raised  silk,  flax, 
cotton  and  wool,  and  manufactured  these  products  for  sale.  They 
sold  preen  apples  and  chestnuts  all  winter. 

People  lived  without  much  expense.  They  had  no  fear  of  work. 
The  men  prided  themselves  on  their  physical  strength.  A  friendly 
fight  as  a  test  was  not  infrequent,  while  even  old  men  wrestled 
occasionally.  It  was  customary  for  a  company  of  men  and  boys 
to  collect  on  Saturday  evenings  at  a  mill  or  cross-roads.  One 
described  a  circle.  Upon  bagter  being  given  two  men  stepped  into 
the  ring  and  they  laughed  at  black  eyes  and  hard  knocks.  They 
boxed  each  others'  ears  as  a  joke,  and  gouged  and  bit  each  other 
for  fun. 


20  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  III. 

PRE-REVOLUTIONARY    LAND    GRANTS. 

From  the  Register  of  Deeds,  Rowan  County,*  Books  1-7,  at 
Salisbur}',  North  Carolina. 

The  Province  of  Carolina,  embracing  that  territory  which  is  at 
present  North  and  South  CaroHna,  and  extending  westward  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  was,  under  a  grant  issued  by  King  Charles  II.  of 
England,  the  property  of  eight  Lords  Proprietors.  In  1729  the 
right  to  this  land  was  surrendered  to  the  King  by  all  the  lords 
except  Granville,  who  retained  his  one-eighth  part. 

"In  1743  Granville's  interest  was  laid  off  in  severalty.  It  embraced  the 
northern  portion  of  North  Carolina,  and  extended  as  far  south  as  the  Mont- 
gomery County  line,  or  near  it,  and  thus  included  the  lands  in  Guilford 
County. 

"Though  Granville  retained  no  political  power,  his  right  in  the  soil 
carried  with  it  the  right  to  appoint  land  officers  and  agents,  thus  forming 
a  sort  of  government  in  a  government,  and  involving  complications  which 
added  to  those  grievances  which  helped  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  'Revo- 
lution.'"    (Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley's  Address  on  Alamance  Church.) 

In  1744,  September  the  seventeenth,  George  II.  granted  the  Earl  of 
Granville  one-eighth  part  of  iNorth  and  South  Carolina. 

In  1745  George  II.  granted  Henry  Eustice  McCulloh  eight  tracts  of 
land  in  the  Province  of  North  Carolina,  each  tract  containing  twelve  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres.  That  part  of  McCulloh's  land  in  Guilford  County 
lay  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Alamance  and  Stinking  Quarter  Creeks. 
Parcels  of  it  were  sold  to  William  Rose,  Peter  Amick,  Nathaniel  Robinson, 
Jeremiah  Kimbro,  James  O'Neal,  Solomon  Grace  and  Smith  Moore.  The 
remainder  of  McCulloh's  lands  ni  Guilford  County  was  confiscated  to  the 
use  of  the  State,  and  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1795  it  was  granted 
to  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina.  McCulloh's  land  was 
within  the  limits  of  Granville's  part  of  North  Carolina. 

*  Rowan  County  was  set  up  from  Anson  County  in  1753.     Orange  County  was  once  a 
part  of  Granville  County.     From  Rowan  and  Orange,  Guilford  County  was  erected  in  1770. 


NORTH  CAKOUN.l.  21 

In  >753  James  and  his  wife  Jeane  Graham,  of  Anson  Coimty,  sold 
to  William  McKnight,  for  five  shillings,  a  parcel  of  land  in  Anson  County 
on  a  branch  of  Buffalo  Creek,  six  hundred  and  forty-one  "Eackcrs,"  "Be 
ye  same  more  or  less,  yielding  and  paying  ye  yearly  rent  of  one  pepper  .-orn 
at  ye  Feast  of  St.  Mickals  ye  Archangel  only  if  ye  same  be  then  demanded." 

In  '753  William  Renolds  and  Rachel,  his  wife,  of  Orange  County, 
conveyed  by  deed  to  their  son,  Jeremiah  Renolds,  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
six  acres  of  land  on  Polecat  Creek. 

In  '753  Tabuland  Gant  (also  spelled  Gaunt.  Gauant)  bought  of 
James  Carter,  for  five  shillings,  six  hundred  and  thirty-two  "acors  by  esti- 
mation." on  the  south  fork  of  Deep  River. 

In  1/53,  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  the  reign  of  George  II.  of 
Great  liritani,  France  and  Ireland.  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  etc.,  Henry 
Beddingfield  sold  William  Mebane  six  hundred  acres  on  the  North  Buffalo 
Creek  for  the  sum  of  forty-five  pounds,  current  money  of  Virginia.  To  this 
indenture  Alexander  Mebane  and  John  Thompson  were  witnesses. 

In  175J  Granville  ^fnnted  Robert  Rankin  a  tract  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  for  three  shillings  proclamation  money. 

In  1753  Granville  sold  John  Cunningham  a  grant  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  on  Reedy  Fork  Creek  for  three  shillings. 

In  1754  George  Jordenjur  sold  to  Jonathan  White  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  Hogin's  Pond,  south  of  Haw 
River.  To  this  indenture  Daniel  Weldon,  Blake  Baker  and  Edward  Under- 
bill were  witnesses. 

In  1754  Granville  granted  Alexander  Mebane  a  tract  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  on  the  upper  branches  of  the  Great  Alamance.  A 
yearly  rent  of  twenty -five  shillings  was  agreed  upon. 

In  1755  Henry  Ballinger  sold  David  Renolds,  for  five  shillings,  a 
tract  of  land  on  South  Polecat  Creek.  "A  yearly  rent  of  one  pepper  corn" 
was  agreed  upon,  "if  the  same  be  demanded."  In  May  of  that  year  Gran- 
ville sold  Henry  Ballinger  a  tract  of  land  on  the  same  stream. 

In  1755  Granville's  agents  granted  Robert  Thompson  a  tract  of  four 
hundred  and  sixty-four  acres  on  the  north  side  of  Reedy  Fork.  Robert 
Thompson  was  the  first  man  killed  in  the  Battle  of  Alamance,  1771. 

In  1755  Robert  Rankin  and  his  wife,  Rebckah,  sold  William  Denny 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Rowan  County. 

In  1755  Granville  sold  George  Finley  a  tract  oirthe  north  side  of  the 
Reedy  Fork,  in  Orange  County. 

In  1755  Robert  Jones  sold  John  Blair,  of  Virginia,  land  on  the  Dan 
River. 

In  1755  Granville  sold  Anthony  Hoggctt,  for  three  shillings  proclama- 
tion money,  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  on  Deep  River.    Granville  also 


22  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

in  the  same  year  granted  Philip  Hoggett  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on 
Deep  Creek. 

In  1756,  November  the  ninth,  Granville  granted  John  McNight  that 
tract  of  land  on  both  sides  of  Nix's  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Reedy  Fork 
of  Havk^  River.  To  this  indenture  the  signature  of  Peter  Henley,  Chief 
Justice  of  Rowan  County,  is  affixed.  Mordecai  Mendenhall  came  to  this 
territory  at  or  before  this  time.  He  owned  many  hundred  acres  of  land 
on  Deep  River. 

In  1756  Granville  granted  John  Kirkpatrick  a  tract  of  land  embracing 
three  hundred  acres  in  the  Parish  of  St.  Luke,  on  the  Buffalo  Creek.  In 
the  same  year  Granville  granted  John  Rhodes,  for  ten  shillings,  a  tract 
joining  Robert  Harris's  land  on  the  north  fork  of  Haw  River. 

In  1750  Granville  granted  Joseph  Ozburn  640  ^cres  of  land  on  the 
Reedy  Fork  of  Haw  River. 

In  1757  Zebulon  Guantt,  wheelwright,  sold  John  Hiat  six  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  land  on  the  north  of  Deep  River.  William  Shepperd  and 
his  wife,  Martha,  sold  Isaac  Beason  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  on  the  Deep  River. 

In  1757  Christopher  Nation  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  sold  Benjamin 
'Cox  a  tract  of  land  on  Polecat  Creek. 

In  1757  Henry  Ballinger  and  Thomas  Hunt  bought  of  Richard  Wil- 
liams fifty  acres  of  land  for  five  shillings.  This  tract  the  deed  declares  to 
Tdc  "for  .the  use,  benefit,  privilege  and  convenience  of  a  Meeting  House 
which  is  already  erected,  and  bears  the  name  New  Garden,  for  the  Chris- 
tian people  called  Quakers  to  meet  in  for  publick  worship  of  Almighty 
God,  and  also  the  ground  to  bury  their  dead  in." 

In  1758  [Nlordecai  Mendenhall  and  his  wife.  Charity,  of  Rowan 
County,  sold  Nathan  Dick  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  on  Horsepen 
Creek.  That  year  Uriah  Woolman,  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  and  Joseph 
Miller,  yeoman  of  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  bought  of  William  Buis 
a  tract  of  land  on  the  Deep  River.  To  this  indenture  Moses  and  John 
Mendenhall  were  witnesses. 

In  175Q  Granville  granted  William  Mebane  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres  in  St.  Luke's  Parish  on  South  Buffalo,  beginning  at  Kimbrough 
Corner  and  running  along  John  McAdoo's  line.  In  that  year  Granville 
granted  John  Boyd  four  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  on  Reedy  Fork. 

In  1760  Thomas  Donnell  sold  James  Donnell  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  North  Buffalo  for  five  shillings. 

In  1762  Granville  granted  William  Armfield  five  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  in  St.  Luke's  Parish  for  ten  shillings,  or  two  dollars  and  a 
half.     He  also  granted  James  Mendenhall  for  the  same  amount  two  hun- 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  88 

drcd  and  four  acres  of  land  joininR  Richard  Reason's  land  on  Deep  River; 
and  Willianj  Millican.  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  same 
stream. 

In  176.?  John  Nick?  sold  James  Denny,  of  Pennsylvania,  six  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land  on  the  North  Buffalo. 

In  1764  Thomas  DonncU  sold  Alexander  McKnight  land  on  the  North 
Buffalo.  In  that  year  Robert  Tate  sold  William  Trousdale  land  on  the 
North  Buffalo. 

In  1765  Henry  Eustice  McCulloh  sold  Robert  Sloan  two  hundred 
and  eight  acres  on  Pott's  Creek. 

In  1766  Thomas  Donnell  sold  Francis  Cummings,  for  five  shillings, 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  on  a  branch  of  the  South  Buffalo. 

In  1766  James  Mathew,  Sr.,  sold  James  Mathews,  Jr.,  for  one  hun- 
dred pounds  proclamation  money,  five  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the 
Alam.incc  Creek. 

In  1767  John  Hodge  sold  Alexander  Penny,  for  five  shillings,  three 
hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  of  land  on  the  Buffalo  Creek,  this  being  a 
part  of  a  tract  granted  John  Gillespie  by  Granville  in  1762. 

In  176K  Adam  Mitchell  sold  John  McKnight  and  William  Anderson, 
as  trustees  for  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  and  their  successors,  one 
acre  of  land  on  the  waters  of  the  North  Buffalo,  for  twenty  shillings.  This 
land  the  deed  affirms  to  be  for  the  use  of  a  Presbyterian  Meeting  House 
for  those  that  are  members  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
and  is  '"for  that  use  forever,  including  the  meeting  house  and  the  study 
house  " 

In  1769  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Reason  gave  land  on  the  Polecat 
Creek  to  their  sons,  William,  Richard,  Benjamin  and  Isaac  Beason. 

In  1770  Robert  Forbis  sold  Welcome  W.  Hodge  land  on  Joseph's 
Creek. 

In  1770  Joseph  Scales  owned  land  on  the  Dan  River. 

In  1770  John  Fraizer  and  Abigal,  his  wife,  sold  Thomas  Buller  land 
on  the  Deep  River. 

In  1770  James  Graham,  of  Rowan,  sold  John  McGee,  of  Orange, 
a  tract  on  the  Great  Alamance.  This  was  a  part  of  the  land  sold  by  Her- 
man Husbands  to  James  Graham  in  1766. 


24  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    PART    OF    GUILFORD    IN    THE    REVOLUTION. 

The  life  of  David  Caldwell,  by  Dr.  Eli  Caruthers,  gives  the 
history  of  the  society  in  North  Carolina  called  the  "Regulators." 
This  society  was  organized  about  1764.  Dr.  David  Caldwell  was 
the  most  prominent  man  then  living  in  the  heart  of  the  territory 
in  which  the  Regulation  movement  had  its  greatest  strength.  ( See 
prefatory  notes  to  the  Colonial  Records  of  North  Carolina,  Vol.  8.) 

The  Regulators  were  the  first  company  of  men  banded  together 
in  the  interest  of  home  rule,  or  government  by  the  American 
people  in  matters  relating  to  their  own  business,  and  opposed  to 
Great  Britain.  Hence  their  movement  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Dr.  Caruthers,  the  successor  of  Dr.  Caldwell 
as  both  pastor  and  teacher,  a  biographer  and  historian,  certainly 
regarded  the  movement  of  the  Regulators  as  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution. 

As  early  as  1760  Igrievances  were  made  to  the  king,  among 
others,  because  "illegal  and  arbitrary  pecuniary  claims  were  in- 
forced  for  the  use  of  the  governor  and  secretary."  The  land 
agents,  ^deputy  surveyors,  entry  takers  and  other  officers  of  in- 
ferior grade  in  that  department,  encouraged  by  the  example  of 
their  leaders,  soon  became  as  much  adepts  in  the  practice  of  chicane 
and  extortion.  Sfhis  state  of  things  continued,  and  perhaps  be- 
came much  worse,  at  least  in  the  lower  grades  of  office,  until  the 
people,  unwilling  to  bear  it  any  longer,  undertook  to  regulate  mat- 
ters themselves ;  so  assumed  the  name  Regulators.     -^When  all 

Note:     l  See  (2)  Colonial  Records  Vol.  7,  page  159. 
See  Lite  of  David  Caldwell,  page  98,  185. 

2  Life  of  David  Caldwell,  page  99. 

3  "  "  page  102. 

4  "  "  page  107. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  25 

lej^al  means  of  redress  had  failed,  they  had  recourse  to  an  expres- 
sion of  puhHc  sentiment  by  hohhn^  meetinjT:s  in  ditTerent  parts  of 
the  country  for  the  purpose ;  then  they  refused  to  pay  illef^al  taxes 
or  fees,  and  this  brou^lit  about  an  open  rupture  witli  tlie  govern- 
ment. 

A  large  i)roportion  of  the  men  in  Dr.  Caldwell's  congregations 
were  Regulators.'*  Hemian  Husbands,  James  Hunter,  Rednap 
Howell,  all  of  them  Guilford  County  men.  were  guiding  spirits  in 
the  movement. 

In  April.  1771.  Governor  Tryon  marched  up  toward  the 
Regulation  section  with  an  army  to  enforce  the  authority  of  his 
officials.  He  met  several  hundred  Regulators,  probably  eleven 
hundred,  just  over  the  Guilford  County  line,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Great  Alamance  Creek.  Dr.  David  Caldwell  was  there  to  present 
resolutions  of  the  Regulators  and  to  ask  for  peace.  Many  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation  were  there,  and  others,  to  demand  redress. 
A  battle  occurred,  in  which  Tryon  was  victorious.  But  the  Regu- 
lators thus  made  the  first  open  resistance  to  British  authority. 
Colonial  Records  of  N.  C,  \'ol.  8,  shows  that  Tryon  and  his  army 
then  marched  through  the  territory  of  the  Regulators,  "destroying 
everything  that  was  in  his  power  to  destroy  by  fire  and  sword." 

On  May  30,  1771,  the  Superior  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer, 
for  the  trial  of  the  Regulators  in  the  "back  country,"  began  at 
Hillsboro.  X.  C.  Twelve  men  were  tried  and  condemned  for  high 
treason. 

"A  PROCL.AM.\TION.— Whereas.  I  am  informed  that  many  Persons 
who  have  been  concerned  in  the  late  Rebellion  are  desirous  of  submitting 
themselves  to  Government  I  do  therefore  give  notice  that  every  Person  who 
will  come  in  either  to  mine  or  General  Waddell's  Camp,  lay  down  their 
arms,  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  promise  to  pay  all  taxes  that  are 
now  or  may  hereafter  become  due  by  them  respectively,  and  submit  to  the 
Laws  of  this  Country,  shall  have  His  Majesty's  most  gracious  and  free 
pardon  for  all  Treasons,  Insurrections  and  Rebellions  done  or  committed 
on  or  before  the  16th  Inst.,  provided  they  make  their  submission  on  or 
before  the  loth  of  June  ne.xt.    The  following  persons  are  however  excepted 

5  Their  (graves  mav  be  seen  at  AUmancc  and  BufTalo  graveyards. 


26  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

from  the  Benefit  of  this  Proclamation,  Viz.  All  the  Outlaws,  the  persons 
in  Camp,  and  the  under  named  persons,  Samuel  Jones,  Joshua  Teague, 
Samuel  Wagones,  Simon  Dunn,  Jr.,  Wilkerson,  Sr.,  Edward  Smith,  John 
Bumpass,  Joseph  Boring,  William  Rankin,  William  Robeson,  John  Wink- 
ler, and  John  Wilcox.  Wm.  Tryon." 

"31  May,  1771." 

See  Col.  Rec,  Vol  VITL,  page  613. 

The  spirit  of  the  Regulation  movement  was  the  same  North 
CaroHna  love  of  liberty  which  in  1766  resisted  the  Stamp  Act  in 
Wilmington,  when  the  British  sloop-of-war  Diligence  arrived  in 
the  Cape  Fear  River,  laden  with  stamps,  and  was  peremptorily- 
refused  permission  to  land  them.  The  Regulators  were  fired  with 
the  same  zeal  for  liberty  which  actuated  the  men  of  ^lecklenburg 
in  1775  when  they  declared  independence.  This  love  of  liberty  is 
found  today  in  every  North  Carolinian. 

"James  Hunter,  The  Regulator,"  by  INIajor  Joseph  M.  More- 
head,  gives  conclusive  evidence  that  the  Regulators  made  the  be- 
ginning of  America's  great  struggle  for  freedom  from  Great 
Britain.    All  revolutions  have  begun  in  this  way. 

"North  Carolina  in  1780-81,"  by  Judge  David  Schenck,  has 
shown  the  history  of  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse,  when 
Greene  so  crippled  Cornwallis  and  his  army  that  they  were  forced 
to  leave  the  state.  The  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse  was  the 
beginning  of  the  last  act  of  the  Revolution,  which  ended  at  York- 
town  by  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  The  beginning  of  the 
Revolution  was  in  Guilford  County,  because  of  unjust  taxation ;  so 
it  was  permitted  her  to  strike  the  last  great  blow  at  the  Battle  of 
Guilford  Courthouse. 

Dr.  Eli  Caruthers  and  Judge  David  Schenck  have  exhausted 
the  subject  of  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse.  To  get  a  full 
view  of  the  battle,  its  causes  and  its  effects,  read  them.  Also 
visit  the  battleground  and  see  the  various  imposing  monuments 
that  tell  the  story  of  the  part  of  Guilford  in  the  Revolutionary 
War. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  27 

In  Mardi.  1781,  the  forces  of  the  American  Revohition  under 
the  coinniand  of  General  Green  met  the  forces  of  Great  Britain 
under  Lord  Cornwallis  on  the  field  near  Guilford  Courthouse,  then 
at  old  Martinsville. 

C(<rn\vallis  had  heen  attracted  l(xi  far  from  his  supplies.  It 
seemed  at  first  that  he  had  won  the  battle,  but  Greene  had  so 
weakened  his  force  as  to  compel  him  to  retire  to  Wilminj^ton. 
North  Carolina,  'riuiice  he  went  to  'S'orktown,  \ir,i,nnia.  and 
surreiulered. 

Many  American  and  English,  soldiers  died  on  the  battlefield 
of  Guilford  Courthouse  and  in  the  county  surroundinpf.  New 
Garden  Meetinefhouse  was  used  as  a  hospital  for  the  British.  In 
the  graveyard  there  are  larpje  square  p^raves,  under  a  great  oak 
tree,  containinq;  the  last  of  British  soldiery  on  this  territory. 

r.REKN'K  ANH  CORN W.MJ.IS. 

Between  Cornwallis  and  Greene  there  seems  to  have  been  a 
difference  similar  to  that  between  America  and  England.  They 
were  representative  men,  each  of  his.own  country.  Cornwallis  was 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Lords,  born  at  London,  educated  at  the 
famous  Eton  College.  City-bred  men  are  different  from  those  of 
the  coujitry.  So  Cornwallis  was  true  to  his  birth  and  his  training 
when,  at  Brandy  wine,  he  evinced  much  coolness  and  bravery.  He 
could  fight  gallantly  and  show  kindness  too.  In  his  encampment 
at  Jamestown  he  pressed  the  mill  into  service,  took  all  the  meal, 
tlour,  meat,  wheat ;  took  the  cow,  the  mother's  last  chance  for 
feeding  her  children,  Mrs.  Judith  Gardner  Mendenhall  demanded 
her  cow  of  the  General,  saying  that  she  needed  it  and  must  have 
it  for  the  support  of  her  children.  Cornwallis  had  the  cow  re- 
turned and  ordered  the  soldiers  to  let  her  alone.  "He  was  an 
accomplished  soldier.  While  he  did  not  himself  commit  acts  of 
cruelty,  he  allowed  his  subordinates  to  do  so  without  rebuke." 

Marching  from  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse  through 
the  state,  he  found  disappointment  instead  of  supplies  awaiting  him 


28  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

at  Wilmington.  He  moved  to  Yorktown,  where  he  was  obhged 
to  surrender.  From  Yorktown  he  was  sent,  in  1786,  to  the  East 
Indies,  as  governor  and  commander-in-chief.  He  fought  gallantly 
the  Sultan  of  Mysore.  Upon  his  return  to  England  he  was  ap- 
pointed master-general  of  Ireland.  Later  he  was  minister  pleni- 
potentiary to  France.  In  1800  he  received  the  appointment  of 
governor-general  of  India,  where  he  died,  in  1805. 

So  England  regarded  him  as  a  brave  soldier  and  a  diplomat. 
He  must  have  felt  himself  to  be  superior  to  the  backwoodsmen 
and  their  rustic  Rhode  Island  commander. 

Nathaniel  Greene  had  no  special  lordship  to  sustain.  It  re- 
quired great  energy  and  wit  on  the  part  of  Greene  to  meet  an 
English  earl  and  general  with  his  well-trained  body  of  soldiers, 
famous  for  their  record — the  best  in  the  world  at  the  time.  They 
had  fought  with  Wolf,  with  Wolf  had  scaled  the  Heights  of 
Abraham.  Greene  knew  that  fight  he  must,  and  think  as  well  as 
fight — something  Cornwallis  had  done  beforehand,  so  probably 
packed  away  his  thinking  cap.  Greene  and  Cornwallis  were  about 
equally  matched,  except  in  this  respect :  Greene  did  the  thinking, 
Cornwallis  relied  upon  training. 

Those  daily  readings  of  Greene,  in  his  Rhode  Island  home,  on 
the  subject  of  military  tactics,  served  to  entertain  and  occupy  his 
youth,  like  that  of  Napoleon  on  the  Island  of  Corsica.  'But  the 
real  benefit  came  later  v/hen,  in  the  flower  of  his  life,  this  fund  of 
resourceful  reading  was  like  a  mine  of  gold  to  America. 

Greene  and  Cornwallis  had  been  ordered  South  by  their 
respective  governments ;  chance  pitted  them  against  each  other. 
They  resembled  each  other  physically.  Neither  was  over  medium 
height,  both  broad-shouldered.  Cornwallis  was  forty-three,  Greene 
thirty-nine.  An  eye  of  each  was  impaired.  One  was  America, 
fresh,  resourceful,  self-dependent,  a  maker,  or  shifter,  of  circum- 
stances. One  was  England,  proud,  sure  of  herself.  Both  had 
been  at  the  Battle  of  Brandywine. 

'Greene  was  born  May  26th,  1742.  His  father  was  a  miller,  an 
anchor-smith,  and  a  Quaker  preacher.     In  early  life  he  followed  the  plow 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  29 

and  worked  at  the  forge.  He  had  no  educational  advantages  in  his 
youth,  was  born  and  reared  in  obscurity.  But  Jie  is  an  example  of  what 
good  principles,  native  sense,  industrious  habits  and  careful  improvement 
of  time  can  accomplish.  A  British  officer  said.  "Greene  is  as  dangerous  as 
Washington:  he  is  vigilant,  enterprising  and  full  of  resources.  With  but 
little  hope  of  gaining  any  advantage  over  him,  I  never  feel  secure  when 
fiicamped  in  his  neighborhood.'"     (Garden's  Anecdotes,  p  76.) 

Battle  is  the  game  of  chess  nations  play  at.  Had  Greene  lost 
this  one.  the  poptilation  of  Guilford  County  and  of  North  Carolina 
would  prohably  be  today  entirely  different,  for  the  ancestors  of  her 
people  would  have  been  mutilated  or  destroyed  by  Tories,  dops  and 
scavengers  of  war. 

"Comwallis  led  a  country  dance; 

The  like  was  never  seen,  sir; 
Much  retrograde  and  much  advance, 

And  all  with  General  Greene,  sir. 
They  rambled  up  and  rambled  down, 

Joined  hands  and  off  they  ran.  sir; 
Our  General  Greene  to  old  Charlestown 

And  the  Earl  to  Wilmington,  sir." 

In  Guilford  and  her  neighbors  the  strife  was  kept  well  stirred. 
There  were  loyalists  here  true  to  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain. 
These  had  property  and  did  not  like  to  see  a  change  in  government. 
There  were  also  "Tories."'  rapacious,  wicked,  who  hated  all  Whigs 
and  the  American  cause.  Their  leader  was  David  Fannen,  a 
scrawny,  raw-boned  man  with  the  scaldhead,  bitter,  spiteful,  re- 
vengeful with  the  soul  of  an  Indian.  His  band  of  Tories  was 
almost  omnipresent  in  its  cruelty  to  Whigs.  The  novel,  "Ala- 
mance," by  Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley,  gives  a  good  idea  of  what  the  Tories 
were  in  Guilford  County.  Dr.  Caruthers  gives  a  good  history  of 
this  period  in  his  books,  "The  Old  Xorth  State,"  first  and  second 
series. 

ai,ivX.\.\I)i;r  M.\kTi.\. 

(Extracts  from  Judge  Douglas's  Speech.) 

Alexander  Martin,  one  of  Guilford's  first  great  leaders,  and 
hei  first  governor  of  Xurth  Carolina,  was  of  Scotch- Irish  descent, 


30  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

his  father  being  a  Presbyterian  minister.     He  was  born  in  1740, 
graduated  at  Princeton  University  in  1756. 

In  i772  he  settled  at  Guilford  Courthouse,  then  situated  near  the 
battlegrgand,  and  was  later  named  Martinsville  in  his  honor.  When  the 
Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse  occurred  he  was  a  member  of  the  Council 
Extraordinary;  and  in  company  with  Dr.  David  Caldwell  was  present  at 
the  Battle  of  Alamance. 

In  1774-75  he  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  from  Guilford 
County.  He  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment 
from  this  State  in  the  Continental  line  on  September  the  first,  1775,  and 
wa's  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  in  1776.  He,  with  his  regiment,  was 
present  at  the  Battle  of  Brandywine,  1775,  where  Lafayette  was  wounded, 
and  was  near  him.  In  the  attack  of  Washington  on  the  British  at  Ger- 
mantown,  he  was  present.     His  General,  Francis.  Nash,  was  killed. 

In  1779  he  was  elected  state  senator  from  Guilford  County,  serving 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1780  he  was  speaker  of  the  Senate.  Upon  the 
capture  of  Governor  Burke  by  David  Fannen,  Alexander  Martin  suc- 
ceeded to  the  governorship.  He  was  elected  Governor  of  North  Carolina 
in  1786  and  178.3. 

In  1786  he  was  elected  by  joint  ballot  of  the  two  houses  of  the 
General  Assembly  one  of  the  five  delegates  to  the  Federal  Convention, 
called  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  to  frame  the  Constitytion  of  the  United 
States.  The  convention  met  May  25,  1787,  and  among  the  delegates  from 
North  Carolina  Alexander  Martin's  name  appears  first. 

Six  times  Governor  of  his  State,  once  by  succession  and  five  times 
by  direct  election,  Alexander  Martin  has  left  a  record  that  has  never  been 
equaled. 

In  1793  Governor  Martin  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.     He  was  a  staunch  Federalist  and  a  friend  of  Washington. 

At  the  general  meeting  of  delegates  at  Newbern.  on  April  3rd,  177S, 
Alexander  Martin  was  the  delegate  from  Guilford.  At  the  meting  at  Hills- 
b'orough,  August  21st,  1775,  Alexander  Martin,  Ransom  Southerland, 
Samuel  Parke  Farley,  Thomas  Henderson.  William  Dent,  George  Cortner 
and  Nathaniel  Williams  were  delegates. 

On  April  4,  1776,  at  the  meeting  which  placed  the  State  in  military 
organization,  the  Guilford  delegates  were  Ransom  Southerland,  William 
Dent  and  Ralph  Gorrell.  The  officers  appointed  for  Guilford  were :  James 
Martin,  Colonel ;  John  Paisley,  Lieutenant-Colonel ;  Thomas  Owens,  First 
Major;  Thomas  Blair,  Second  Major. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  31 

At  the  meeting  at  Halifax.  November  I2th,  1776,  which  formed  the 
Constitution,  the  delegates  from  Guilford  were:  David  Caldwell,  Joseph 
Hinds.  Ralph  Ciorrell.  Charles  Liruce  and  I  sham  lirowdcr. 

CLILFORU  nATTLEGROUNl). 

The  orip^inator  of  the  Guilford  Battlegrouml  Company  was 
Jiulpe  David  Schenck,  who,  in  1882,  came  to  Greensboro  from 
Lincolnton,  X.  C.  He  was  a  brilliant  man,  interested  in  the  devel- 
opment and  up-buildinp  of  North  Carolina,  and  for  years  worked 
ceaselessly  toward  that  end.  To  him  was  due  the  early  establish- 
ment of  the  Greensboro  paraded  schools.  In  1886,  October,  he 
purchased  the  j^frounds  on  which  this  g^reat  decisive  battle  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  occurred ;  to  Jud^e  Schenck  is  due  the  honor 
of  rescuinc:  the  battlejii^round  and  its  history  from  oblivion.  He 
tauc^ht  the  history  of  the  conflict  of  1780  and  '81  in  North  Caro- 
lina cflFectively.  both  by  his  pen  and  his  redemption  of  the  Guilford 
Batlle^c^round.  Until  he  came  this  battlej^round,  blessed  by  the 
blood  of  patriotism,  was  an  old  sedge-field  of  pines  and  briars,  a 
tangled  wilderness.  Today  everyone  knows  of  the  great  Battle 
of  Guilford  Courthouse.  The  imposing  monuments  there  will  tell 
the  youth  for  many  a  generation  the  history  of  North  Carolina 
patriotism. 

A  charter  from  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina  was  pro- 
cured at  its  session  in  1887  and  on  the  6th  of  May,  1887,  Friday, 
J.  W.  Scott,  David  Schenck,  Julius  A.  Gray,  D.  W.  C.  Benbow 
and  Thomas  B.  Keogh  met  in  Greensboro  and  organized  "The 
Guilford  Battleground  Company."  Judge  D.  Schenck  was  elected 
president ;  J.  W.  Scott,  treasurer,  and  Thomas  B.  Keogh,  secretary. 
Citizens  of  Greensboro  responded  liberally.  Mrs.  McAdoo-King 
was  the  only  lady  stockholder. 

In  1889  the  Legislature  appropriated  two  hundred  dollars 
annually  to  the  support  of  the  Guilford  Battleground.  The  first 
monument,  given  by  McGalliard  and  Huske,  quarrymen  of  Ker- 
nersvil'.e,  N.  C,  was  erected  in  honor  of  Capt.mn  Arthur  Forbis, 


32  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

who  was  wounded  and  died  on  the  field  of  battle,  a  brave  soldier  of 
Guilford  County. 

Governor  A.  M.  Scales  had  prepared  granite  blocks,  begin- 
ning with  a  base  of  five  feet  square  and  running  up  to  two  feet, 
in  form  pyramidal.  This  was  erected  "with  joy"  in  the  centre 
of  the  battlefield,  near  the  railway,  where  all  travelers  might  read : 
''GuTLFORD  Battle  Ground,  Thursday,  March  the  15TH, 
1 781" — the  Battle  Monument. 

Two  natural  springs  of  cool  water  on  the  grounds  were  de- 
veloped and  beautified  bv  the  Northern  gentlemen,  who  were  one 
with  us  in  the  great  American  cause — Mr.  William  P.  Clyde,  of 
New  York,  for  whom  Clyde  Spring  is  named,  and  Mr.  Leonidas 
W.  Springs,  of  Philadelphia,  for  whom  the  twin,  "Leonidas 
Springs,"  is  named. 

In  1891  the  remains  of  Brigadier-General  Jethro  Sumner 
were  re-interred  in  this  hallowed  mould  of  the  Guilford  Battle. 
That  year  a  museum  was  built  on  the  grounds,  which  has  gathered 
many  relics  of  the  Revolution. 

In  1892  Maryland  Monument  was  erected,  in  memory  of 
the  Maryland  Regimentals. 

In  1893  The  Hoi,t  Monument  was  erected  by  Governor 
Thomas  M.  Holt. 

The  Oak  Ridge  students  have  erected  a  monument  to  the 
Bugler  Boy  of  Light  Horse  Harry's  Troops,  who  was  killed 
near  Oak  Ridge  Institute. 

In  1900,  James  Hunter  Monument  was  built  (through  the 
efiforts  of  Hon.  Joseph  M.  Morehead),  and  the  history  of  the 
Regulators  established  as  the  first  patriots  of  American  liberty. 
There  are  many 'other  monuments.  The  Fourth  of  July  is  cele- 
brated each  year.  Thousands  of  people  visit  annually  this  scene 
of  the  Revolutionary  War. 


NORTH  CAROLIX. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MINUTE    PACKET    OF    THE    COURT    OF    PLEAS    AND 
(4L'ARTER    SESSIONS.       1782-1788. 

The  County  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  was  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  Enghsh  fomi  of  government.  It  met  quarterly,  in 
February,  in  May,  in  Aug^ust  and  in  November.  Three,  five  or 
more  Justices  of  the  Peace  sat  on  the  bench.  Besides  rendering 
judgment,  tliey  appointed  county  officers,  to  be  confirmed  by  the 
governor,  deeds  were  probated  and  wills  were  proven  in  their 
court.  It  was  a  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Magistrates'  Court. 
(Nov.,  1782.  Book  I  in  Clerk's  office  at  the  County  Seat  of  Guil- 
ford.) This  court,  in  time,  became  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners, which  meets  the  first  Monday  in  each  month,  and  some- 
times in  the  middle  of  the  month,  composed  of  three  citizens. 

Thf  County  ta.x  is  laid  by  the  Court  to  one  shilling  on  every 
hundred  pounds  ta.xable  property  in  the  County.  (Book  in  Clerk's 
office  at  Greensboro.    Nov  18,  1782.) 

Ordered  that  each  constable  who  warned  the  inhabitants  to  give  a 
list  of  taxable  property  for  the  years  1781  and  '82  be  allowed  forty  shil- 
lings.   .■\lso  each  assessor  be  allowed  the  same.     (17  Feb.,  1783.) 

Ordered  that  Col.  John  Peasly,  Col.  John  Gillespie,  John  Forbes, 
William  Kerr,  Thomas  Wiley,  John  Foster,  Thomas  Landwith.  Moses 
Craner,  .Vndrcw  Wilson  and  John  Mc.\doo  be  a  Jury  to  lay  out  a  road 
from  the  Highrock  ford  on  Haw  River  to  the  County  line  at  Elisha 
Mcndcnhall's  Mill. 

Daniel  Allen,  who  was  brought  before  the  Court  for  speaking  defama- 
tory words  against  the  State,  was  fined  twenty  poinuls — (not  paid). 

.At  a  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions,  .\le.x  Caldwell,  William 
Dent.  George  Peay,  Esquires,  present:  "William  Dick  is  allowed  £5,  4s,  4d 
for  his  attendance  as  Juror  at  Salisbury  Superior  Court,  March  term,  1780. 
(May  20,  1783.) 


34  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Sprow  Macay,  Esq.,  is  appointed  attorney  to  act  in  behalf  of  the 
State  in  the  County  of  Guilford. 

For  each  district  a  constable  and  assessor  were  appointed.  David 
Peebles  is  appointed  in  Mr.  Bruce's  district  for  the  present  year  and  Justin 
Knott  constable  for  the  same  year.  (David  Peebles'  son,  Lewis,  had  a 
daughter,  Patsey,  who  married  Col.  Walter  McConnell,  who  was  the 
father-in-law  of  C.  N.  McAdoo.) 

At  a  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  begun  and  held  for  the 
County  of  Guilford,  the  third  Monday  in  August,  1783;  Present,  Charles 
Bruce,  William  Goudy,  James  Brown,  Esquires. 

The  last  will  and  testament  of  James  Mendenhall  is  recorded.  Also 
an  inventor\'  of  the  estate  of  James  Hunter,  deceased,  was  returned  in 
open  court  and  recorded. 

Ordered  that  Allen  Unthank's  tax  for  the  year  1782  be  remitted,  it 
being  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court  that  he  was  a  balloted  man 
to  serve  in  the  Continental  service  nine  months  and  had  paid  his  tax 
regularly  until  that  year. 

John  Williams,  Esq.,  is  appointed  attorney  in  behalf  of  the  State  for 
the  County  of  Guilford. 

Ordered  that  John  Wilej'  be  allowed  the  sum  of  40  shillings  for 
his  services  in  warning  the  inhabitants  of  Mr.  Larkin's  district  to  give  a 
list  of  their  taxable  property  for  the  year  1779. 

John  Gillespie,  Esq.,  produced  a  commission  from  his  Excellency, 
the  Governor,  appointing  him  Sheriff  of  this  County  of  Guilford,  and 
qualified  as  such  by  taking  the  necessary  oaths  prescribed  by  law  for  the 
qualification  of  Public  officers  and  gave  bond  with  security  for  the  faithful 
discharge  of  his  duty. 

Ordered  that  the  Collectors  receive  no  more  than  a  two-fold  tax  from 
those  Quakers  who  are  above  fifty  years  of  age  and  not  exceeding  four- 
fold from  those  under  that  age  that  have  not  given  in  a  list  of  their  taxable 
property. 

Ordered  that  Alex.  Caldwell  and  George  Peay,  Esq.,  be  appointed  a 
committee  to  settle  with  James  Brown,  Esq.,  former  Sheriff  of  this  County, 
who  reported  that  they  had  done  the  same  and  that  by  the  several  vouchers 
produced  there  appeared  to  be  a  balance  due  the  said  Brown  from  the 
County  £582,  8s,  3d,  as  per  and  filed.  The  same  persons  also  settled  with 
the  said  Brown  for  taxes. 

Ordered  that  the  following  persons,  to  wit,  Elijah  Oliver,  Thomas 
Cook,  William  Allen,  William  Stephens,  Robert  Coleman,  Jeremiah  Morris, 
John  Nix,  William  Peay,  Eli  Surry,  Derby  Hoppen,  David  Walker  and 
Jeremiah  Johnson,  be  appointed  patrolers  in  their  several  districts. 


AOAV7/  CAKOLL\A.  36 

Ordered  that  the  sheriff  or  collector  pay  Thomas  Blear  one  pound 
titteen  shillings  t(»r  his  attentlance  as  Juror  at  Salisbury  Court  in  June,  1775. 

F'resent  Wni.  Gowdy.  Wni.  Dent,  Robert  M.  Kaniie,  Alex.  Caldwell, 
Adam  Larkie.     (Nov..  1783.) 

Ordered  that  Thomas  Henderson  have  leave  to  remove  the  House, 
called  the  store  house,  that  is  now  on  the  lot  of  James  Buchanan  to  his  own 
lot  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  Records  and  other  papers  belonging  to 
the  clerk's  office  of  said  county. 

The  county  tax  is  laid  to  one  shilling  for  the  present  year. 

Ordered  that  the  Sheriff  agree  with  some  person  to  repair  the  Court 
house,  erect  a  Barr  and  make  report  to  ne.xt  court. 

Col.  John  Gillaspie,  high  sheriff  of  Guilford  County,  came  into  Court 
and  excepted  against  the  Jail. 

Ordered  that  Thomas  Henderson,  clerk  of  Guilford  County,  be 
allowed  40  pounds  for  two  years.  The  county  is  in  arrears  to  him  for 
extra  services,  and  20  pounds  for  present  year. 

Ordered  that  Robert  Wiley  be  allowed  £5,  17s,  8d,  for  his  attendance 
at  Salisbur>'  Superior  Court  which  met  in  March  1784.     (May,  1784.) 

Jes^e  Benton,  Esq.,  produced  a  license  to  practice  law  from  their 
honors  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  Law  and  Equity.  (Minute  Bk. 
Court  of  P.  &  Q.,  1781-8.^.) 

James  Hunter,  Esq.,  being  elected  sheriff  of  this  county,  ordered  that 
he  be  recommended  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor  to  be  commissioned 
for  that  purpose. 

Jacob  Brown.  Wm.  Crawford.  Wni.  Fathom  and  John  McXary,  Esqs., 
produced  each  a  license  with  testimonial  annexed  agreeable  to  law  from 
the  honorable  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  Law  and  Equity,  and 
were  admitted  to  practice  in  this  Court  as  attorneys  at  law. 

Ordered  that  the  sheriff  summon  all  the  Constables  within  this  county 
to  give  their  attendance  with  proper  staffs,  as  wands,  during  the  sittings 
of  the  County  Courts  to  be  held  for  this  County  during  Term  time,  to  do 
their  duty  in  office  or  otherwise  be  subject  to  the  pains  and  penalties  of  the 
law. 

Thomas  Archer,  indicted  for  retailing  liquors,  came  into  Court  and 
submitted  and  was  fined. 

License  is  granted  William  Reed  to  keep  a  Tavern  at  his  own  dwell- 
ing house,  Francis  McXary,  his  security.     (May,  1784.) 

In  1784  Thomas  Henderson  was  Clerk  of  the  Court. 

At  a  County  Court  of  P.  &  Q.,  present  the  worshipful  Alex.  Cald- 
well, Wm.  Gowdy  and  William  Dent.  Agreeable  to  the  petitions  of  Sundry 
Inhabitants,  ordered  that  Peter  Oneal  have  leave  to  build  a  Grist  Mill  over 
Prewit's  fork  of  Hogan's  Creek. 


36  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

On  motion  of  John  Williams.,  Esq.,  ordered  that  an  instrument  of 
writing  or  Duplicate  of  the  last  Will  and  Testament  of  Daniel  M.  Collom, 
Dec'd,  be  recorded  (the  original  being  destroyed  by  the  British),  which 
was  proved  in  the  open  Court  by  the  oath  of  Thomas  Wratherford. 

Ordered  that  Jehu  ]\Iorton  be  fined  15  pounds  for  three  profane  oaths 
by  him  sworn  in  the  presence  of  the  Court  and  that  he  should  be  com- 
mitted till  fine  and  fees  be  paid. 

Ordered  by  the  Court  that  Jehu  Morton  be  committed  to  stocks  for 
two  hours  and  that  the  Sheriff  summon  a  guard  sufficient  for  that  purpose 
and  that  any  convenient  fence  be  deemed  stocks  for  that  purpose  or  any 
other  place  of  confinement. 

Thomas  Brown  is  appointed  Overseer  of  the  road  from  the  Court 
House  to  the  middle  of  Horsepen  Creek  and  that  he  with  the  hands  of 
Francis  AIcNary,  Widow  Foster,  John  Hamilton,  Nathan  Brown  and  Capt. 
Wm.  Dent  keep  the  same  in  good  repair  agreeable  to  law. 

"Ordered  that  in  future  each  sheriff  attend  this  court  with  a  Wand 
of  tough  wood  eight  feet  in  length  and  one  inch  in  diameter,  and  that 
each  constable  attend  the  courts  with  staff's  neatly  shaved  6^  ft.  in  length 
and  iy'2  in.  in  diameter  painted  black  on  the  head  for  8  inches."  James 
Hunter,  High  Sheriff.     (August,  1788.) 

Chas.  Bruce  and  Wiliam  Dent,  Esqs.,  are  appointed  to  superintend  the 
next  election  for  members  for  Legislature  for  this  County. 

Wm.  Gowdy.  Ralph  Gorrell  and  William  Dent  were  present  at  the 
term  of  Court.  John  Stokes,  Esq.,  produced  a  license  with  a  testimonial 
annexed  from  their  honors  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  Law  and 
Equity  and  was  admitted  to  practice  law  accordingly.  Ralph  Gorrell,  Esq., 
is  by  the  Court  elected  Register  of  the  County  of  Guilford.  (Nov.  1784, 
Court  of  P.  &  Q.) 

Ordered  that  the  sheriff  or  some  of  the  collectors  pay  James  Brown 
£20,  6s,  Sd,  which  appear  to  be  due  him  from  the  settlement  of  his  amount 
as  former  sheriff  of  this  county.     (Nov.  1784.) 

Ordered  that  the  County  tax  for  the  year  1784  be  laid  to  one  shilling 
on  every  poll  tax  and  the  same  on  every  300  acres  of  land.  Andrew  John- 
ston being  of  a  proper  age  came  into  court  and  made  choice  of  Henry 
Ross,  William  Gowdy,  Esq.,  his  security  in  the  sum  of  200  pounds  for  the 
faithful  discharge  of  his  duty.     (Feb.  1785.) 

■"Charles  Galloway  records  his  mark,  to  wit,  'a  crop  and  slit  in  each 
year.'  "     (Each  farmer  had  his  stock  marked.) 

The  Esquires  present  at  this  court  of  P.  &  Q.  were  Wm.  Gowdy, 
George  Peay  and  Adam  Lackey.  James  Hunter  is  unanimously  elected 
Sheriff  of  this  County  for  the  present  year.     (May  1785.) 


corKTiicrsK  OK  (.rii.i-oui)  cointv 


NORTH  CAROLISA.  87 

On  the  petition  of  Suntlry  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  Buff  ilos,  it  is: 
Ordered  that  a  road  be  laid  off  from  Ralph  Gorrcll,  Esq.,  to  Elijah  Stan- 
ley's Mill  and  from  thence  to  the  Cape  Fear  Road  and  that  the  following 
Jury,  to  wit.  Daniel  Ciillaspie,  John  Foster,  John  Mc.^doo,  John  Mcb:ine, 
David  McAdoo.  James  McAdoo,  Francis  Cummings,  John  Holt,  John  Orr, 
George  Parks,  Samuel  Martin  and  James  Butler,  be  a  jury  to  view  and 
lay  ofT  sai<l  road  and  make  report  tlureof  to  next  Court. 

Nichlas  McCubbin  is  appointed  Overseer  of  the  road  from  the  Sorrow 
Town  to  Quaqua  Creek;  James  McCoIium  from  thence  to  the  County  line 
of  Caswell ;  John  Odell  from  the  County  line  of  Caswell  on  the  Iron  Works 
Road  to  William  Bethel's  Muster  Ground;  Natty  Jordan  frojn  thence  to 
the  roads  at  Browder's  Executor's;  William  Hickman  overseer  of  Hen- 
derson's Road  from  Samuel  Bethel's  to  Cantrel's  Meeting  House;  Lawrence 
Bagston  from  thence  to  the  Governor's  Road ;  David  Suttlcs  from  Manlcave 
Tarrant's  to  Hugh  Reeds';  and  Hugh  Reeds  from  his  own  house  to  Thomas 
Gray's.  Jacob  Williams'  road. 

Nathaniel  Scales  is  appointed  Overseer  of  the  road  from  Sinythe's 
or  to  Dry  Creek  and  the  road  from  the  Saura  Town  ford  to  the  Vir- 
.;a  line. 

A  deed  of  sales  from  James  Buckhannon  and  wife  to  James  McQuis- 
•  :i  for  60  acres  of  land  was  proved  in  open  court  by  the  oaths  of  James 
1  ir.nlap  and  ordered  registered. 

Ordered  that  the  sheriflF,  or  collector,  pay  Ralph  Gorrcll.  Eso..  £5.  6s, 
r  his  attendance  as  a  Juror  at  Salisbury  Court  of  Oj'cr  and  Terminer, 
.  held  for  the  district  first  of  June,  1775. 

Ordered  that  the  SheriflF  or  collector  pay  Ralph  Gorrcll.  Esq..  £1,  12s, 
for  blank  books  furnished  his  office  as  register. 

Ordered  that  the  Sheriff  or  collector  pay  Robert  McKamie,  Esq.,  £9,  3s, 
4d,  for  his  service  done  as  Crowner  of  his  county. 

John  Duke  was  sworn  in  as  Juryman  with  Henry  Whitesel,  Thomas 
Green,  George  Glass.     (Nov.  1785.) 

Agreeable  to  an  act  of  the  assembly  for  appointing  an  inspection  of 
tobacco  at  the  Court  hou.se  of  Guilford  Co.,  Wm.  Dent,  E.sq.,  and  Alex. 
McCain  are  appointed  inspectors  of  the  same. 

Court  house  repaired.  Ordered  that  the  said  Commission  (William 
Dent.  John  Ilamilttm.  William  Duke)  also  engage  with  said  workman  who 
undertake  the  Court  house  to  build  a  pillory  and  stocks  for  the  use  of  the 
County. 

On  the  resignation  of  Thomas  Henderson  as  Ckrk  of  Guilford 
County,  live  members  being  pristnt,  Thomas  Leary  is  unanimously  elected, 
into  bond  with  William  Dent  .-.nd  Thomas  Henderson  in  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  pounds  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty,  etc. 


38  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Hance  Hamilton  was  by  the  Court  elected  Sheriff  and  that  he  be 
recommended  to  his  Excellency  the  Governor  to  be  confirmed.  Accord- 
ingly the  said  Hance  Hamilton  Produced  a  commission  from  the  Governor 
appointing  him  sheriff.     Bond,  £5000.     (May  1786.) 

James  Buckanon  submits  to  the  court  and  is  fined  40s  for  selling  liquor 
above  the  rates. 

Ordered  that  Abner  Willis,  orphan  of  Richard  Willis,  dec'd,  aged  14 
years,  be  bound  to  Edward  Ryan  until  he  arrives  at  full  age,  to  learn  the 
art  and  mystery  of  weaving,  and  the  said  Ryan  engages  to  give  the  said 
orphan  one  horse  to  the  value  of  10  pounds,  and  learn  him  to  read,  write 
and  cypher  as  far  as  the  five  Common  rules  in  Arithmetic. 

Ordered  that  the  Sheriff  or  some  Collectors  pay  Thomas  Hamilton 
48  shillings  for  his  service  in  making  the  line  between  this  county  and 
Randolph  County.     (Laid  off  in  1779.) 

"I  do  hereby  certify  that  John  Stockard  appeared  before  me  within 
the  space  of  two  or  three  months  after  Isham  Lett  had  entered  a  Bay  Gild- 
ing on  the  Stray  Book  in  or  about  the  year  1784  and  the  said  John  Stockard 
made  oath  that  the  said  Gilding  was  his  property."  Given  under  my  hand 
Feb.  24.  1787,    Wm.  Gowdy. 

It  is  ordered  that  an  issue  to  each  Justice  be  made  "that  at  the  time 
of  taking  tax  list  they  likewise  take  a  list  as  law  requires  of  the  number 
of  inhabitants  m  each  district." 

The  county  tax  is  levied  at  2s,  6d,  for  the  year  1786  on  each  poll  and 
the  same  on  every  300  acres  of  land. 

Joseph  Hoskins.  Constable,  enters  into  bond  with  the  Court  in  the 
sum  of  250  pounds  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty,  George  Denny, 
his  security.     (May  1787.) 

Ordered  that  John  Hamilton  and  William  Dent,  Esqs.,  be  allowed  the 
sum  of  16  pounds  for  running  the  dividing  line  between  Rockingham  and 
Guilford  Counties,  and  that  Richard  Burton  be  allowed  the  sum  of  40s  for 
his  services  in  carrying  the  chain  in  running  the  line  between  the  Counties 
of   Guilford  and   Rockingham.      (Rockingham    formed    from   Guilford    in 

1785-) 

Rockingham  being  made  for  the  Election  of  a  sheriff  for  the  year  1787 
Hance  Hamilton  offered  himself  a  candidate  for  the  same  who  was  unani- 
mously elected,  five  members  being  present. 

Ordered  that  William  Dent  and  Ralph  Gorrell,  Esqs.,  be  appointed  to 
settle  with  James  Hunter,  sheriff  of  said  County,  for  the  County  tax  for 
the  years  1784- 1785. 

Hance  Hamilton  produced  a  commission  from  his  Excellency,  Richard 
Caswell,  Esq.,  appointing  himself  Sheriff  of  Guilford  County,  who  took  the 


XONTH  C.IROLI.SA.  3» 

oath  agreeable  to  Utw— who  at  the  same  time  protested  against  tlic  goal 
of  the  County.  Joseph  Hoskins  and  John  Spruce  qualified  as  deputy  sheriffs 
for  the  County  of  (iuiltord. 

Ordered  tliat  Thomas  Smith,  who  was  a  continental  soldier  in  the  line 
of  the  snte.  he  allowed  the  sum  of  15  pounds,  it  appearing  that  he  lost  one 
of  his  legs  in  the  Battle  at  Utaws  (Eutaw  Springs?).  .-Kged  .28  years,  left 
eye  out.    Capt.  Porter  Shaw  repaired  the  Court  House  for  400  pounds. 

"Andrew  Jackson  produced  a  license  from  the  Judges  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  I^w  and  Equity  to  practice  Law  and  was  admitted  an  attorney  of 
his  Court."     (Nov.  1787.) 

( .\ndrew  Jackson  was  born  at  Waxhaw,  N.  C.  He  removed  to  Guil- 
ford County,  X.  C,  read  law  at  the  home  of  Charles  Bruce,  at  Summer- 
field,  Guilford  County.  N.  C,  became  constable  in  Guilford  County,  went 
to  Tennessee  with  Judge  McNairy,  and  afterward  became  President  of  the 
I'nited  States,  and  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  Democrat  Party.  While 
in  Guilford  he  is  said  to  have  enjoyed  the  sports  of  cock-fighting  and 
horse-racing.     His  old  race  paths  are  at  Summerfield.) 

Hance  Hamilton  re-elected  sheriff.     (May  1788.) 

Ordered  that  Capt.  Patrick  Shaw  be  allowed  to  keep  a  tavern  in  his 
own  dwelling  at  Martinsville. 


40  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NOTES    FROM    THE    MINUTE    DOCKET.       1796-181I. 

On  petition  of  Alexander  McKeen,  Trustee  of  the  Publick  Buildings, 
ordered  that  the  following  repairs  be  made,  viz,  the  goal  to  be  weather- 
boarded  and  the  doors  made  secure  and  a  pair  of  steps  made  to  ascend  to 
the  upper  door;  further  that  the  window  shutters  of  the  Courthouse  be 
repaired  and  the  glass  repaired  that  is  broken  out.  Also  that  the  steps  of 
the  Courthouse  be  repaired  and  the  floor  of  the  stocks  new  planked,  the 
gullies  by  the  goal  to  be  stopped  by  a  stone  wall  to  be  made  low  in  the 
middle,  and  the  Barr  in  the  Courthouse  to  be  made  some  longer  and  ele- 
vated about  18  in.,  with  a  step  at  each  end  and  a  platform  from  the  middle 
to  extend  to  the  Bench  on  which  the  Clerk's  seat  and  desk,  or  table  is  to 
be  placed  near  to  the  Bench  and  a  Jury  box  to  be  fixed  on  each  side  of  said 
platform,  between  the  Barr  and  the  Bench  to  hold  twelve  Jurors,  at  least, 
with  convenience,  and  the  Banister  or  railing  of  the  Bench  are  to  be 
repaired.  (November  1796,  page  5.  See  Minute  Docket  in  Clerk's  office  in 
Greensboro,  N.  C.) 

In  No-^'ember,  1796,  there  were  summoned  for  the  next  term  of  court 
sixty-four  Jurors.  At  this  court  twenty-nine  deeds  were  acknowledged. 
(Page  7.) 

Hance  Hamilton  and  Cieorge  Bruce,  Esqrs.,  who  were  appointed  at 
the  last  General  Assembly  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of  Guilford, 
produced  a  commission  from  the  Governor  for  the  time  being  to  that  pur- 
port and  took  the  necessary  oath  of  office  in  open  court,  and  took  their 
seats  accordingly.     (Feb.  1797,  page  11.) 

For  the  year  1796  county  tax  was  one  shilling  for  one  poll  and  one 
shilling  tor  every  300  acres  of  land.     (Page  13.) 

Ordered  that  the  clerk  give  Public  Notice  for  the  inhabitants  of  this 
County  to  attend  on  the  first  day  of  next  Court  and  every  succeeding  Court 
in  order  to  do  all  kinds  of  County  Business  of  a  special  nature  as  the 
Court  will  attend  hereafter  for  that  purpose  and  those  that  do  not,  ne.ed 
not  expect  to  have  such  business  done  at  any  other  period  in  the  term. 
(Page  15.) 

Ordered  that  the  Sherifif  hold  an  election  for  Wardens  for  the  Poor 
on  Easter  Monday  next,  agreeable  to  Law  or  within  the  limits.     (Page  15.) 


NORTH  C.lROl.L\.'i.  41 

Z.  D.  Brn<lur  was  slioritT  for  1795-  At  the  February  1797  Term  of 
Court  8t    deeds   were   aunounced    in   open   Court   and   ordered    recorded. 

(Page  15  )  .      ,     . 

Ahner  Weatherly  was  electd  sheritT  for  1797.  He  received  six  votes, 
a  maiority;  seven  votes  were  cast. 

Ordered  tliat  the  slierifT  be  directed  to  .idvertise  for  an  election  for 
Wardens  of  the  poor  held  at  the  same  time  of  next  annual  election.     (May 

1797.  P'igi-  -V)  ,  ,    <•  • 

Ordered  that  the  Clerk  he  allowed  the  sum  of  20  pounds  for  services 
in  1796.  Ordered  that  the  SheritT  be  allowed  X  pounds  for  1796.  Ordered 
that  the  following  Justices  be  appointed  to  take  the  lists  of  Taxables  for 
the  present  year  in  the  following  manner  and  districts:  "Adam  Stevor  for 
liis  own  and  .\lexander  Gray  and  Thomas  Dick  to  take  in  .said  Gray's  and 
George  Wilson's  districts  and  north  of  Reedy  Fork  from  the  lower  end  of 
the  County  up  to  Samuel  Thomp.son's  Bridge,  then  along  Dixes  ferry  road 
to  where  1  sham  Coffee  formerly  lived;  Hubbard  Peoples  from  Samuel 
Thompson's  Bridge  up  to  Reedy  Fork  to  Scott's  Mill,  thence  along  the  old 
road  to  Joseph  Erwin's,  thence  down  to  said  Coffee;  Robert  McKime, 
Hance  Hamilton  and  Benjamine  Beason  to  take  in  from  said  Leatt's  Mill 
up  including  Jean's  District  and  that  of  Lindsey's  north  of  the  old  Salis- 
bury road. 

Thirty-seven  deeds  were  proven  in  open  court  this  term. 
Abner  Weatherly,  shcrifT,  came  into  open  court  and  protested  against 
the  goal  of  this  County,  the  same  being  insufficient  in  his  opinion,     (.\ugust 

1797,  page  M) 

John  McMurray  is  appointed  trustee  fur  the  year  1796  who  gave  bond 
in  the  sum  of  500  pounds.     (Page  35.) 

Ordered  that  the  following  insolvents  be  allowed  to  John  Henley. 
Sherift  for  1796.  by  the  oath  of  Joseph  Hoskins.  deputy  sheriff  in  Hubbard 
'  Peeple's  District.    Fifty-three  deeds  at  this  term  of  Court.     (Page  37) 

Also  "the  certificate  of  a  procession  made  for  William  and  Andrew 
Jackson  on  the  8ih  day  of  June,  1797.  all  of  which  are  filed  with  the 
petitions  of  the  Court,  (fees  not  being  paid). 

Gottlieb  Shober.  Esq.,  produced  a  license  from  their  honorables,  the 
Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  this  state,  licensing  him  as  an  attorney 
in  the  County  Courts  of  this  state  who  it  appeared  had  taken  the  oaths 
prescribed  by  law  and  was  admitted  accordingly."     (Page  41.) 

At  the  November  Court  of  1797  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  deeds 
were  proven  in  open  court  and  thirty-seven  deeds  the  following  February. 
U'age  48.) 


42  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Abner  Weatherly  was  re-elected  Sheriff  and  allowed  30  pounds  for 
year's  service.  Ordered  that  the  clerk  be  allowed  22  pounds  for  his  ex- 
officio  services  for  1797.     (May  1798,  page  65.) 

John  Hamilton  proved  a  power  of  attorney  from  William  Bridges  to 
Andrew  Jackson  impowering  him  to  make  a  title  to  David  Dawson,  Jr. 
Andrew  Jackson  proved  release  from  Robin  Weeden  and  Wife  to  Christian 
Full.     (Page  69.) 

Andrew  Jackson,  attorney  for  William  Bridges,  acknowleded  a  Deed 
from  Daniel  Daeson  for  74  acres  of  land.  At  this  court  one  hundred  deeds 
were  proveq. 

Present  at  this  term  of  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions,  Samuel 
Lindsay,  William  Armfield,  Matthew  Cunningham.  Abner  Weatherly,  Esq., 
(elected  Sheriff  by  the  Court)  produced  his  commission  from  Gov.  Saml. 
Ashe  appointing  him  as  Sheriff  of  Guilford  County. 

Ordered  that  it  be  entered  on  record  that  John  Goodrich  came  into 
open  court  and  acknowledged  that  he  expected  that  some  time  ago  in  a 
quarrel  he  deprived  John  Wright,  son  of  Francis  Wright,  of  a  small  piece 
of  his  right  ear. 

William  Farrington    ^  Charged  with  passing  base  metal  as  money  in 

gtajg  (  the  similitude  of  a  Spanish  milled  dollar. 

William  Farrington  was  bound  over  to  Salisbury  Superior  Court.  He 
gave  bail  of  100  pounds. 

Forty-six  deeds  were  reported  at  this  court.  In  November  Court 
thirty-seven  deeds  reported.  Ordered  that  Duncan  Cameron  be  appointed 
attorney  to  act  for  the  State  during  this  court.     (August  1798.) 

At  this  court  were  present  Hance  McCain,  Hubbard  Peebles,  George 
Mendinghall,  John  Howel  and  Jonathan  Parker.     (Feb.  I799-) 

Abner  Weatherly"  was  re-elected  Sheriff  unanimously  at  the  May 
Court.    William  Armfield  was  appointed  Trustee  for  Guilford  County. 

Ordered  that  George  Rankin  be  appointed  to  procure  and  keep  a 
proper  standard  of  weights  and  measures  for  this  county.  (May  1799,  page 
102.) 

John  Plowel  was  appointed  entritaker  for  Guilford.  His  duty  was  to 
keep  ihe  public  and  confiscated  lands,  and  to  sell  them.  His  bond  was 
2,000  pounds.     (Page  103.     Page  113.) 

Ordered  that  James  Loum.er,  a  wounded  soldier  in  the  services  of  the 
United  States,  one  of  the  militia  of  his  state,  wounded  in  1779  in  Ashe's 
Defeat  in  Georgia,  being  shot  through  the  body  and  right  arm,  which  was 
broken,  rendering  him  incapable  of  pursuing  his  business  as  a  blacksmith, 
be  allowed  the  sum  of  17  pounds  10  shillings  per  year  and  the  certificate 


.\Of:ril  C.IROHS'A.  48 

of  same  l)c  made  known  to  the  C.cncral  Assembly  of  North  Carolina. 
(Nov.  I79«j,  paRC  I2l.) 

Ahncr  W'eathcrly  was  unanimously  elected  Sheriff  by  the  Court. 
Ordered  tliat  lieorpe  Bruce,  Samuel  Lindsay  and  John  Hamilton  be 
appointed  to  jud^e  the  paper  currency  in  the  county  agreeable  to  the 
.Assembly.     William  Armtield  was  appointed  trustee  for  county. 

Ordered  that  Charles  Bruce,  John  Howel  and  John  Hamilton  be 
appointed  a  committee  to  establish  a  stanTlard'of  weights  and  measures  for 
this  county  which  shall  be  a  guide  for  the  person  appointed  to  regulate  the 
same.     (Feb.  1800.) 

.•\t  an  e.xtra  session  of  this  court  held  in  February,  1801.  there  were 
present  (ieorge  Bruce.  John  .Moore.  Jester  Knott,  Zaza  Brasher,  David 
Price.  Rol)ert  Bell  and  William  .\rmfield.  Court  called  to  try  a  negro 
charged  with  rape,  sentenced  to  be  hanged.     (Page  156.) 

.\t  the  May  court,  1801,  Abner  Weathcrly  was  elected  Sheriff,  receiv- 
ing twelve  votes  out  of  si.xtcen  cast. 

The  following  Jury:  Andrew  Jackson,  William  Dick,  John  Wheeler, 
Thomas  Rose,  George  Waggoner.  George  Starbuck,  James  Thompson,  John 
Swicher.  Zeal  Shepherd.  John  White,  Isaac  Hiatt.     (Page  16S. ) 

Ordered  that  the  seven  sets  of  the  Acts  of  Congress  (i  Vol.  lacking) 
furnished  this  county  be  distributed  as  follows:  One  set  left  in  the  office 
and  the  remainder  to  each  three  Justices,  it  appearing  that  there  are  seven- 
teen Justices  in  the  county,  and  the  broken  set  to  go  to  the  class  of  Justices 
that  contains  two.  Justices  are  to  be  classed  as  follows:  Ralph  Gorrell, 
Roddy  Hannah.  Jonathan  Parker ;  David  Price,  George  Bruce,  John  Moore ; 
James  McNearry,  Alex.  Gray,  Samuel  Lindsay;  John  Howell,  George  Mtn- 
denhall.  William  Armfield ;  William  Gilchrist,  John  Cummings,  Zaza  D. 
Brasher;  Jestin  Knott,  Robert  Bell. 

For  1801  the  county  tax  was  two  shillings  to  the  poll  and  eight  pence 
for  every  100  A. 

George  Bruce,  David  Price.  Jestin  Knott  presided.  Archibal.l  Murpliy, 
Esq.,  produced  license  from  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  Law  and 
Equity  authorizing  him  to  plead  and  practice  law  in  the  different  Courts, 
on  his  taking  the  oaths  by  law  he  is  admitted  to  practice  in  this  Court. 
(May  180J,  page  202.) 

Andrew  Jackson  is  appointed  road  overseer  from  Reedy  Fork  Bridge 
to  the  Widow  Flack's  branch.     (Page  218.) 

Ordered  that  Abner  Weatherly,  sheriff,  be  fined  for  swearing.  ( Page 
234) 

Agreeable  to  an  order  of  Court,  the  sheriff  summoned  a  jury  to 
inquire  into  the  sanity  of  David  Coble's  mind,  it   being   suggested  to  the 


44  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

court  by  Barnabas  Troxlow  that  the  said  David  was  of  mind, 

wasting  his  estate.  Twelve  good  men  duly  summoned  in  behalf  find  the 
said  David  Coble  to  be  of  sound  mind  and  that  he  is  not  wasting  his 
estate.     (May  1803.) 

On  petition  of  Elizabeth  Wheeler,  widow,  the  owner  of  a  slave  called 
Saul,  who  has  performed  divers  meritorious  services,  of  fair  and  good 
character,  it  is  ordered  that  the  said  negro  Saul  be  let  free  and  that  he  be 
called  by  the  name  Saul  Wheeler  forever  hereafter.     (Aug.  1804.) 

Two  indictments  for  retailing  spirituous  liquors  by  the  small  without 
license.     Sixty-three  deeds  recorded.     (x\ugust  1805.) 

A  bill  of  sale  from  Andrew  Jackson  to  Latham  Donnell  of  one  negro 
woman  slave  was  proven.     (November  1805.) 

(The  word  dollar  is  used  instead  of  pound.     Feb.  1806.) 

Administration  on  the  estate  of  Andrew  Jackson,  dec'd,  is  granted 
John  Starrat  and  Edward  Gran.     (Aug.  1806,  page  387.) 

IMartinsville  was  the  first  county  seat  of  Guilford,  known  in  history 
as  the  scene  of  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse.  The  wealth  of  the  town 
was,  in  1806,  as  follows : 

John  Adam's  lot 150  pounds 

John  Hamilton's  lot 250  pounds 

John  Hamilton's  lot,  where  he  dwells 525  pounds 

Charles  Bruce's  lot 200  pounds 

Saul  Cummings'  lot 175  pounds 

Robert  Lindsay's  lot 325  pounds 

David  Brice  s  lot 125  pounds 

Sm.ith  ]\Ioore's  lot 275  pounds 

James  Cannon's  lot 375  pounds 

Robert  Lindsay's  dwelling  lot ■ 400  pounds 

John  Hamilton's  lot 40  pounds  10 

Alexander  Martin's  lot 275  pounds 

David  Price's  lot 43  pounds  lO 

Town  lots 25  pounds 

The  Commissioners  to  appraise  the  property  of  Martinsville  were  John 
Cunningham.  George  Nicks,  Geogre  Swain.     (Page  392.) 

Thomas  Dick,  William  Ryan  and  Abner  Weatherly,  Esqrs.,  are  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  arrange  and  prepare  a  list  of  'persons  qualified  to 
serve  as  Jurors  in  the  Superior  Court  of  Law  hereafter  to  be  held  for  this 
county  and  that  they  make  report  of  proceedings  at  present  term  of  this 
court.     (Feb.  1807,  page  398.) 

Ordered  that  Thomas  Dick,  William  Lease,  William  Ryan,  Charles 
Bruce  and  Joseph  Davis,  Esqrs.,  be  appointed  commissioners  for  the  build- 


NORTH  CAROI.l.W.-i.  45 

ing  of  a  new  Courthouse  and  jail,  hy  plans  aRrced  upon  l)y  commissi. >iicrs. 
A  sufficient  tax  was  levied  for  1S07-8-0-10.     ( I'ane  .v)-^. ) 

Elections  were  held  at  Martinsville.  Jamestown  and  Findley  Stuart's. 
I,  Page  407.) 

At  a  "County  Court"  for  Guilford.  .\t  the  May  term  for  1808  a  plan 
of  a  town  at  New  Courthouse  was  discussed.   (November  1S07.  page  4.^7.) 

At  this  term  Ahner  Weatherly,  who  had  been  sluritT  ten  years,  re- 
signed and  James  Dunning  was  elected  for  nine  months.     (August  iSaS.) 

At  the  term  of  Court  held  May,  1809,  nt  Martinsville  it  was  an- 
nounced "the  new  courthouse  in  (ireensboro  now  ready  for  reception  of 
court.  The  court  adjourned  from  the  town  of  Martinsville  to  the  town  of 
Greensboro  (which  was  the  centre  of  the  county)"  to  meet  at  ten  o'clock 
tomorrow,  Friday,  19  May,  1809.     (Page  465.) 

The  esquires  present  at  the  first  term  of  Court  held  in  Greensboro 
were  John  Starrat,  Jonathan  Parker,  Joseph  Gullet,  George  Swain,  John 
McAdoo,  Ephraim  Burrow. 

This  court  was  interested  in  hying  off  new  roads,  appointing  road 
overseers,  palrollers.  constables,  binding  out  children,  acknowledging  deeds, 
electing  county  officers,  levying  taxes.    They  had  only  poll  and  land  taxes. 


46  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    SLAVERY    QUESTION. 

Slavery,  an  institution  bequeathed  to  us  like  the  church,  the 
state  or  other  forms  of  mediaeval  life,  was  the  embryo  of  a  parasite 
growing  from  the  roots  of  our  republic.  In  Europe  this  principle 
had  the  form  of  feudalism ;  in  America,  that  of  negro  slavery. 
Through  this  system  in  the  south,  negroes  from  African  jungles 
were  trained  into  a  class  of  men  with  some  degree  of  civilization. 
In  its  day,  in  the  South,  slavery  was  the  greatest  of  blessings  to 
the  blacks. 

Though  the  institution  of  slavery  had  a  much  stronger  hold 
on  industrial  life  in  Warren,  Halifax  and  other  eastern  counties, 
still  there  were  many  slaveholders  in  the  eastern  half  of  Guilford 
County,  Among  the  files  of  the  Greensboro  Patriot  may  be  found 
advertisements  like  the  following,  offering  a  reward  of  ten  dollars 
for  a  "Runaway  negro  man  named  Dutchman,  formerly  called 
Caesar.  About  forty  years  old,  five  feet,  eight  inches  tall,  long 
head,  and  stooped  shoulders,  has  a  down  look  and  'zacly,'  or  'zack- 
ly,  sar,"  is  a  common  word  with  him.  He  took  different  kinds  of 
clothing,  old  suit  of  blue  jeans,  and  striped  pants,  some  coarse 
summer  cloths,  two  hats  and  a  cap." 

A  reward  of  fifty  dollars  was  offered  by  another  subscriber 
for  a  runaway  negro  from  his  master  in  Washington  County,  Vir- 
ginia :  "On  Sunday  a  negro  named  Mack,  sometimes  called  Wil- 
liam, jet  black,  very  free  spoken,  tw^enty-four  years  old,  about  five 
feet,  eight  or  ten  inches,  he  wears  a  blue  jeans  frock  coat,  tow- 
linen  pantaloons  and  straw  hat.  It  is  probable  he  may  have  pro- 
cured a  pass  and  aims  to  get  to  a  free  state  or  to  North  Carolina. 
The  said  negro  can  write  a  little.    I  will  pay  the  above  reward  for 


XOHril  C.iROLlX.l.  47 

the  delivery  of  said  slave  to  nie  in  Washington  County,  or  half 

the  amount,  if  secured  so  that  I  may  ^et  him  aj^ain."      

Pat  riot  of  1845  :  "In  pursuance  to  a  decree  issued  from  the  Court 
i.f  Equity,  we  shall  expose  to  public  sale,  to  the  hitjhest  hitliler.  on 
the  credit  of  9  months,  at  the  late  residence  of  William   I'.ayles, 
dec'd,  on  25th  day  of  July  next,  the  following 
U)T  OF  KF.r.ROES: 

"Uen,  Jim,  Logan,  Alsy.  and  Dicey,  (two  men,  two  women 
and  one  boy),  all  young  and  lively.  The  purchaser  will  be  re- 
<iuired  to  give  note  and  api)roved  security. 

"Wii.i.iAM  A.  Lash. 
"John  Hannkr, 
"Admr.  of  \Vm.  lloyles." 

Now.  there  were  those  in  Guilford  County  having  decided 
conscientious  scrui)les  against  all  this  business.  The  western  part 
of  Guilford  County  was  peopled  by  Quakers,  Englishmen  coming 
by  wa\  of  Pennsylvania,  and  another  type  not  so  mild — the  Nan- 
tucket Quaker,  who  came  to  this  western  part  of  Guilford  about 
the  time  of  the  first  brewings  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  This 
section  was.  and  is  today,  the  centre  of  Quaker  element  in  the 
state.  For  some  reason,  or  impulse,  the  Friends,  or  Quakers,  re- 
garded the  freeing  of  the  slaves  as  their  own  peculiar  mission.  In 
their  yearly  meeting  as  early  as  1772.  according  to  Stephen  B, 
Weeks,  Friends  were  discussing  slavery  and  the  sin  of  it ;  and  in 
1774  they  freed  their  own  slaves.  The  North  Carolina  yearly 
meeting  of  Friends  chartered  a  ship,  called  The  Sally  Ami,  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  slaves  to  Havti,  where  they  might  be  free. 
Captain  Swain,  of  Guilford  County,  was  the  skipper  of  the  boat. 
Slaves  were  bought  and  sent  to  Hayti.     (Mrs.  ^L  M.  Hobbs.) 

Even  earlier  than  The  Sally  Ann,  soon  after  the  Revolutionary 
War,  societies  were  formed  all  over  North  Carolina  to  protect  and 
restore  to  freedom  those  negroes  kidn3i)ped  and  sold  into  slavery. 
In  the  first  decade  of  the  ninetenth  century  a  society  was  organized 
in  Guilford  Countv.  calle<l  the  "Manumission   Societv  of  North 


48  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Carolina."  Its  meetings  were  held  in  the  Deep  River  section,  and 
others  besides  Friends  were  members,  among  them  many  slave- 
holders, who  eagerly  discussed  the  question  of  slavery.  There 
was  at  this  time  in  Washington  City  a  society  for  the  colonization 
of  "free  people  of  color." 

The  Manumission  Society  of  North  Carolina  sought  to  put  an 
end  to  the  slave  traffic  by  allowing  no  more  to  be  brought  into 
North  Carolina ;  by  allov/ing  no  slave  to  be  exchanged  from  one 
master  to  another ;  and  by  allowing  all  negroes  born  after  a  certain 
date  to  be  free.  By  this  means  they  would  gradually  promote 
emancipation,  thus  averting  the  disastrous  consequences  of  releas- 
ing suddenly  upon  North  Carolina  civilization  about  205,170 
slaves  (See  Census  of  1820-1830),  of  half-savage  negroes. 

The  representative  members  of  the  Manumission  Society  were 
the  Coffi.ns,  the  Worths,  James  and  Richard  Mendenhall.  The 
active  members  numbered  several  hundred,  many  prominent  slave- 
holders being  members.  A  large  per  cent,  of  the  people  of  North 
Carolina  at  that  time  v.-ere  philosophizing  about  some  scheme  for 
the  emancipation  of  slaves. 

What  to  do  with  slaves  when  freed  was  a  question.  Emigra- 
tion to  Hayti  was  encouraged.  Many  of  this  Society  preferred 
that  the  negroes  be  kept  in  slavery  to  having  them  remain  in  the 
state  when  freed.  They  were  all,  however,  abolitionists.  (This 
information  was  given  by  Mrs.  M.  M.  Hobbs.) 

The  Underground  Railway,  though  in  reality  an  outgrowth  of 
the  Manumission  Society,  was  not  connected  with  it.  This  was 
a  secret  organization,  begotten  in  the  ingenious  brain  of  the  Coffins, 
by  which  slaves  were  sent  to  the  Northwest.  The  scheme  remained 
a  secret  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  in  which  time  many  a  slave- 
holder found  his  number  of  slaves  greatly  diminished,  and  his 
negroes  skipped  and  gone. 

Note:  Friends  did  not  receive  negroes  into  their  denomination  as  did  Presbyterians, 
Baptists  and  others.     Who  ever  saw  a  negro  who  was  a  Quaker? 

1  have  several  times  heard  Addison  Coffin  talk  of  the  Underground  Railway  and  how- 
it  was  operated.    S.  W.  S. 


XJkTIJ  L.lKUUX.l.  VJ 

The  first  "Mcpot"  of  this  "railroad"  was  in  southwest  Ciuil- 
ford  County,  not  many  miles  from  the  Randolph  Comity  line.  The 
nej^ro  escapeil  from  his  master  by  ni,u:ht,  went  to  one  of  these 
"aj^ents."  was  concealeil  by  day  in  the  hiproof  of  his  house ; 
by  niyb.t  he  was  sent  to  the  next  "aj^jent's"  home,  and  so  to  free 
territiiry.  A  system  of  nails  driven  in  trees  along;  the  way  marked 
which  fork  of  the  roatl  to  take. 

Slaveholders  themselves  indulj;ed  in  "heavy  threats,"  which 
intimidated  many  non-slaveholders  who  knew  nolhiu}:;  whatever  of 
the  "L'nder^'round  Railroad."  Thouj^h  these  were  innocent,  they 
coulil  not  endure  the  sentiment.  They,  too,  went  to  the  Northwest. 
W  hole  counties  in  Indiana  and  Ohio  were  peopled  by  Guilford 
County  stock  and  their  homes  were  left  vacant.  What  was  the 
primary  cause  of  this?  Slavery.  For  forty  years  before  the 
Civil  War,  slavery  was  a  pretty  hot  subject  in  Guilford  County. 
North  Carolina.  It  was  the  conjunction  of  the  "Nantucketers"  and 
the  Scotch- Irish. 

The  Census  of  1850  brouj^ht  out  the  fact  that  nearly  one- 
third  of  the  population  of  Indiana  was  from  North  Carolina,  wlnle 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Kansas  each  had  a  large  number  of 
Carolinians.  In  1835  the  res^ion  in  the  far  Northwest  was  opened 
for  settlement  and  Carolinians  were  among  the  first  to  enter  the 
new  territory.  In  1849  the  gold  fever  excitei'nent  in  California 
attracted  "Carolinians  who  became  the  first  to  blaze  the  way." 
Far  up  in  North  Dakota,  near  Uevil  Lake,  Addison  Coffin  found 
a  colony  of  young  men  located  and  holding  their  claims.  Their 
parents  were  from  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina. 

The  first  emigrants  went  west  by  horseback,  with  pack  horses, 
following  the  buffalo  trails.  These  animals,  now  extinct,  came  to 
Guilford  to  feed  on  the  great  peavine  pastures  in  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  they  went  again  to  the  northward,  fording  the  IhitTalo 
Creek,  the  Haw  River,  the  Dan  River,  at  the  best  fords.     Buffalo 

See  Guiironl  Colteeian,  Vol.  4.  published  at  Guilford  Collcfce.     Paper   by   Addi<^ort 
Coffin  and  Stephen  B.  Wccka  on  "Southern  leakers  and  dlavcry. 


60  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

trails  and  buffalo  fords  were  an  advantage  to  those  seeking  outlet 
westward. 

Many  places  in  the  west,  in  Indiana  especially,  were  named 
for  those  places  left  in  Guilford  County.  Knightstown,  Ind.,  was 
named  for  a  family  of  Knights  living  in  west  Guilford;  Greens- 
boro, Ind.,  w^as  named  for  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  it  is  settled  by  Guil- 
ford people;  Center  and  New  Garden  townships  were  laid  off  in 
Indiana.  (See  Steven  B.  Week's  "Southern  Quakers  and  Slav- 
ery.") Whole  families  and  monthly  meetings  went  west  from 
Guilford.  Deep  River  Monthly  Meeting,  Dover  Monthly  Meeting, 
Springfield  INIonthly  Meeting,  New  Garden  Monthly  Meeting 
were  impoverished  by  the  constant  drain  of  migration. 

The  town  of  Florence,  in  Guilford,  went  west  almost  bodily. 
Men  living  remember  when  Florence  was  a  thriving  little  town; 
now  it  is  a  deserted  village.  Jamestown  and  Friendship  have 
been  depopulated  in  a  similar  way.  Gardners,  Dillons,  Winslows, 
Hills,  left  almost  all  of  them.  About  1830,  four  hundred  families 
went  west  from  Guilford  County.  The  efficient  cause  was  slavery, 
the  old.  old  story  of  the  time. 

Though  Guilford  was  drained  by  migration  to  the  west,  she 
probably  lost  less  wealth,  and  suffered  less  because  of  slavery  than 
any  other  county  in  North  Carolina.  Look  at  her  enterprise,  her 
industrial  development,  her  educational  system.  Compare  her 
towns  with  those  of  Warren  County,  Halifax  County,  Edgecombe 
County  and  others  that  had  an  immense  wealth  in  slaves.  Though 
these  counties  are  drowsily  waking  up,  by  the  demands  of  the 
tobacco  and  peanut  markets,  still  they  have  no  such  industrial 
foundation  as  Guilford.  Why?  Their  industrial  life  received 
the  greater  paralysis  at  the  loss  of  so  much  wealth.  With  Guil- 
ford it  was  not  so.  Guilford  had  not,  in  the  first  place,  so  much 
wealth  in  slaves  to  lose.  Guilford  men  were  already  hardened 
to  labor.  Guilford  was  not  "aristocratic."  Guilford  men  had 
long  ago  learned  to  be  self-reliant.  Guilford  had  the  crafts  of 
New  England  firmly  fixed  in  her  industrial  organism  by  the  "Nan- 


.\\ji:ri]  L.iROLi.wi.  oi 

tucketers."  Thoup:Ii  there  has  been  contendinpf  and  clashinjj.  it 
was  the  contlict  of  ideas  which  always  develops  education.  The 
wranijli'iiJ  ^vas  not  wranp;ling  destructive;  it  was  the  throbbing 
of  lusty  life.  This  chapter  directly  affects  our  industrial  and 
educatitMial  deveh^penunt.  Thouij^h  Guilford  County  lost  a  great 
many  people  before  and  since  the  Civil  War  because  of  the  slavery 
question,  still  the  foundation  of  her  industrial  life  remained. 

Addison  Coffin,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  "Underground  Rail- 
road." was  also  emigration  agent  from  Guilford  County  to  the 
Northwest.  In  iSC/\  once  each  month  he  was  in  Greensboro, 
X.  C.  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  emigrants.  Thousands  of 
white  people  left  this  County  under  his  guidance  until  he,  in  1872. 
went  out  of  the  business.  In  May.  1866,  he  conducted  over  three 
hundred:  in  June  of  the  same  year,  he  conducted  a  troop  of  emi- 
grants, of  which  300  were  twelve  years  old  and  younger,  100  were 
three  years  old  and  under. 

The  data  for  this  chapter  has  been  collected  here  and  there ; 
from  Addison  Coffin's  Life,  from  sketches  in  the  Guilford  Co/- 
lci;iau,  from  the  complete  file  of  the  Greensboro  Patriot  in  the 
library  of  the  Greensboro  Female  College,  and  from  conversing 
with  many  people,  Mrs.  Mary  Mendenhall  Hobbs.  Mrs.  P.  B. 
Hackney;  and  Addison  Coffin's  talks  to  the  students  at  Guilford 
College. 


J 


GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    PART    OF    GUILFORD    IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

To  Governor  Ellis's  call  to  arms  in  1861  the  Guilford  Grays 
at  once  responded.  Of  these,  fifty  men  went  into  the  Battle  of 
Bristow  Station,  in  the  fall  of  1863,  seven  men  came  out  alive,  and 
only  three  of  these  were  unhurt.     (Per  Mr.  Wm.  Rankin.) 

From  the  Roster  of  North  Carolina  troops  in  the  war  between 
the  States  during  the  years  1861  and  1865  it  is  learned  that  the 
following  commanding  officers  and  companies  were  from  Guilford 
County  and  there  were  other  soldiers  besides  these  from  Guilford 
County : 

TWENTY-SEVENTH  REGIMENT^  COMPANY  B. — OFFICERS. 

John  Sloan,  Captain;  cm  April  20,  1861 ;  p  Lieutenant-Colonel  September 

28,  1861. 
William  Adams,  Captain;  cm  September  28,  1861 ;  pr  from  ist  Lieutenant; 

killed  at  Sharpsburg. 
John  A.  Gilmer,  Captain ;  cm  April  i,  1862,  p  from  2d  Lieutenant. 
J.  A.  Sloan,  Captain. 

Wm.  Adams,  ist  Lieutenant,  cm  April  20,  1861. 

J.  T.  Morehead,  ist  Lieutenant,  cm  October  5,  1861 ;  p  Captain  45th  Cal.  53d. 
John  A.  Gilmer,  ist  Lieutenant,  cm  January  6,  1862. 
Rufus  B.  Gibson,  ist  Lieutenant. 
Rufus  B.  Gibson,  2nd  Lieutenant,  p. 

James  T.  Morehead,  Jr.,  2nd  Lieutenant,  April  20,  1861,  promoted. 
John  A.  Gilmer,  2nd  Lieutenant,  April  20,  1861,  pr — 

TWENTY-SECOND  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  E. 

Columbus  C.  Cole,  Captain,  cm  May  23,  1861,  p  Major  Jime  13,  1862. 
Charles  E.  Harper,  Captain,  cm  ]\lay  2t„  1861,  k  June  30,  1862  at  Frazier's 

Farm;  p  from  ist  Lieutenant. 
Joseph  A.  Hooper,  Captain,  cm,  — ,  w —  at  Seven  Pines;  r  April  20,  1S63; 
p  from  2nd  Lieutenant. 

Cm— Commissioned.     K— Killed.     R— Retired. 
P— Promoled:     W— Wounded.     Dt— Detailed. 


..^^^ 

1^  '  ^  - 

i 

M.IKKI)    MOdKK   SCAI.KS. 

GF.NKK.M.   IN   THK  CdXKKI'KRATF.   AKMY    IN    NORTHKKN    VIKC.INIA, 

W)VKRN«)R   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

F.I.m-R   IN   THK   FIRST   l'RKSI»YTK.RIAN   CHLRCH   OF   0RF.F.NSB«)RO. 

I.AWVFR-STATF.SMAN. 


NORTH  CAROUSA.  68 

M.  M.  Wolf.  Captain,  cm  June  30.  1862.  w  August  30,  1862.  at  Manassas;  r 

Sept.  15.  1863;  p  from  1st  Lieutenant. 
R.  W.  Cole.  Captain,  cm  Sept.  15,  1863,  w  at  Chancellorsville. 
Charles  IX  Harper,  1st  Lieut.,  cm  May  2^.  1861.  w  and  k. 
Martin  M.  Wolf,  ist  Lieut.,  cm.  p  and  w. 
.\.  J.  Busick,  1st  Lieut.,  cm  Sept.  15.  1863,  p  from  Sergeant. 
R.  W.  Cole.  1st  Lieut.,  cm,  p  and  w. 
W.  H.  Faucett,  2d  Lieut..  May  23,  1861,  dt  to  Comm. 
James  M.  Hanner.  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  May  2^,  1861 ;  r  July  21,  1861. 
John  N.  Nelson.  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  July  30.  1861,  d  November,  1861  ;  p  from 

Sergeant. 
Joseph  A.  Hooper.  2nd  Lieut. 
R.  W.  Cole.  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  June  3. 
'  '   C.  Wheeler.  2nd  Lieut.,  cm ;  r  Jan.  26,  1864. 

TWENTY-FIRST  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  M. 

William  L.  Scott,  Captain,  cm  June  4,  1861 ;  p  Lieut. -Colonel  Feb.  i.  1862. 
William  S.  Rankin,  Captain,  an  .\pril  26,  1862;  p  Major,  .August  28,  1862. 
John  E.  Gilmer,  Captain,  cm  .\ugust  28,  1862;  w  at  Fredericksburg. 
William  S.  Rankin,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  June  4,  1861. 

Wilson  S.  Hill,  1st  Lieut.,  cm 

John  E.  Gilmer,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  April  26,  1862. 

John  S.  Dick,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  Aug.  25,  1862;  w  at  Fredericksburg. 

John  Doggett,  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  June  4,  1861. 

Andrew   Summers,  2nd  Lieut.,  w  June  4.   1861. 

J.  A.  Cobb..  2nd  Lieut.,  w  at  Winchester  and  Gettysburg. 

S.  F.  Stewart,  2nd  Lieut.,  cm 

NINETEENTH   REGI.MENT,  COMPANY   F. 

Barzillai  F.  Cole,  Captain,  cm  June  4,  1861. 

P.  .A.  Tatum,  Captain,  p  from  ist  Lieut;  cm  June  4,  1861. 

N.  C.  Tucker,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  June  4,  1861 ;  p  from  2nd  Lieut;  w. 

J.  .\.  Hooper,  2nd  Lieut. ;  cm  June  4,  1861. 

FORTY-FIFTH    REGI.MENT   INFANTRY— FIELD   AND   STAFF. 

John  Henry  Morehead,  Colonel,  cm  Sept.  2,  1862;  p  from  Lieutenant- 
Colonel;  d  at  Martinsburg,  Virginia.  June  25,  1863;  p  from  Captain 
of  Company  E,  Second  Regiment. 

Charles  E.  Shober,  Major,  cm  June  26,  1862;  p  from  Captain  of  Company 
B;  p  Lieut.-Colonel  of  Second   Battalion. 

FORTY-FIFTH  REGIMENT,  CO.MPANY  B. 

Charles  E.  Shober,  Captain,  cm  Feb.  15,  1862;  p  Major  Sept.  i.  1862;  Lieut.- 
Colonel  of  Second  Battalion. 


54  GUILFORD  COUNTY. 

Samuel  C.  Rankin,  Captain,  cm  September  i,  1862;  p  from  ist  Lieut.;  w 

July,  1865.  at  Gettysburg. 
S  .C.  Rankin,  ist  Lieut,  cm  Feb.  15,  1862;  p  and  w. 
James  M.  Wharton,  ist  Lieut,  (cm  Feb.  15,  1862),  cm  Sept.  i,  p  from  2nd 

Lieut. 
Charles  W.  Woolen,  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  Feb.  15,  1862. 
Henry  C.  Willis,  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  June  29,  1862,  w. 
R.  R.  Sanders,  2nd  Lieut. 

FORTY-FIFTH   REGIMKNT,  COMPANY  C. 

James  F.  Morehead,  p  Captain,  cm  Feb.  15,  1862,  p  Lieut-Colonel  of  53d 
Regiment,  p  Colonel. 

Peter  P.  Scales,  Captain,  cm  May  8,  1862,  Virginia ;  d  of  w  received  at 
Gettysburg. 

Robert  C.  Donnell,  Captain,  cm  Sept  i,  1862. 

Robert  L.  Morehead,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  May  8,  1862;  r  Sept.  1863;  p  from 
2nd  Lieut. 

Joseph  Henry  Scales,  ist  Lieut.,  cm  Sept.  i,  1863;  p  from  3rd  Lieut.,  Vir- 
ginia. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  INFANTRY — FIELD  AND  STAFF. 

James  T.  Morehead,  Jr.,  Lieut-Colonel,  cm  May  6,  1862,  p  from  Captain  of 
Company  D,  p  Colonel. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  D. 

David  Scott,  Jr.,  Captain,  cm  March  i,  1862. 

Peter  F.  Daub,  2nd  Lieut,  cm  March  i,  1862.  (This  Company  from  For- 
syth, Stokes,  Surry  and  Guilford.) 

FIFTY-FOURTH  REGIMENT,  COMPANY  F. 

Rufus  L.  Hooper,  Captain,  cm  Feb.  14,  1863. 
Joseph  S.  Ragsdale,  ist  Lieut,  cm  Feb.  14,  1863. 
Charles  W.  Ogbum,  2nd  Lieut.,  cm  Dec.  i,  1862. 
Wm.  H.  Young,  2nd.  Lieut.,  cm  Aug.  13,  1863,  p  1863. 

(The  above  from  Vols.  H.  and  HL  of  N.  C.  Roster.) 
Johnson  and  his  army  for  days  and  days  poured  in  one  steady  stream 
into  Greensboro,  where  he  surrendered.    Wheeler's  Cavalry,  Dibble's  Divi- 
sion, was  in  Guilford  also.     The  last  meeting  of  the  Cabinet  of  Jefferson 
Davis  was  held  in  Greensboro. 

Note:  Wars  of  mediseval  Europe  were  fought  along  the  lines  of  race  or  religion; 
Wars  of  modern  history  are  industrial  problems  wrought  out  under  restraint  iind  com- 
pulsion. The  Civil  War  was  fought  along  the  lines  of  Southern  institutions.  That  was 
the  great  problem  of  institutionalism  versus  individualism.  The  verdict  of  the  western 
world  is  that  the  individual  is  above  and  better  than  all  sorts  of  institutions.  But  the  lives 
of  men  like  Morehead,  Gen  Scales,  Col.  J.  I.  Scales,  Gilmer,  Gorrell,  Vance,  Maftatt, 
Lee  and  Jackson,  and  many  another,  will  forever  give  the  Southern  cause  and  the  South- 
ern army  glory  and  dignity  in  the  world.  It  is  sweet  and  beautiful  to  die  for  one's 
country. 


>- '  ;..  J.  1.  si  .\i.i;s. 

KM  I. SENT  SOI.DIKR.   LAWYER   AND   STATKSMAN 

lUklNi,  THE    DARK    DAV^  Of  THE   Sf)L'TH, 

A   I'ATRIOT   WITH    HONOK  TKIKD. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  66 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INDUSTRIAL    DEVELOPMENT. 

Guilford  County,  lyinj^:  near  the  middle  of  the  plateau  region 
of  North  Carohna.  is  twenty-four  by  twenty-eifjjht  miles,  rectanp:u- 
lar.  This  is  the  watershed  county  of  the  State;  Haw  River  and 
Deep  River  rise  from  the  Oak  Ridge  elevation,  but  join  in  Chat- 
ham County,  flowing  to  the  ocean  as  the  noble  Cape  Fear.  The 
Dan  may  be  called  a  Guilford  river,  because  this  land  was  once 
Guilford's.  Draining  part  of  Guilford's  territory,  the  beautiful 
Dan  flows  north,  joining  at  length  the  great  Roanoke.  The  aver- 
age elevation  of  Guilford  County  is  between  800  and  1,000  feet 
above  tide.  The  mean  temperature  is  50  degrees.  Roses  bloom 
out  of  doors  nine  months  in  the  year.  Guilford  County  is  almost  a 
square.  Her  eighteen  townships  are  rectangular.  Fifteen  of  these 
are  penetrated  by  one  hundred  and  eleven  miles  of  railway. 

Guilford  has  always  been  a  great  public  highway.  Before 
railroads,  the  Salisbury  and  Petersburg  stage  coach  line  passed 
tlirough  Guilford,  as  did  also  the  Salisbury  and  Fayetteville  road. 
And  before  these,  the  same  roads  were  the  great  Trading  Paths  of 
the  Indians.  The  Five  Nations  on  the  north  ;  the  Tuscaroras,  in 
their  Kehukee  and  Toisnot  rendezvous,  on  the  east ;  the  Catawbas 
on  the  south ;  and  the  Cherokees  on  the  west,  passed  over  the 
Trading  Path  in  their  commerce  with  each  other,  or  with  the 
whites.  But  the  road  was  not  original  with  them.  They  held  it 
by  right  of  comjuest  from  the  buffalos,  which  fed  all  winter  on 
the  tall  peavines  growing  luxuriantly  and  abundantly  in  Guilford. 
These  early  lords  of  the  savannahs  of  Guilford  left  their  name 
writ  in  the  waters  of  the  North  and  South  Buffalo  Creeks. 

Peavines  grew  here  tall  enough  to  reach  the  shoulder  of  a 


66  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

man  on  horseback.  (Col.  J.  T.  Morehead.)  Hawks,  Swain  and 
Graham  say  that:  "Between  the  Yadkin  and  the  Catawba  were 
immense  grazing  grounds.  The  Reedy  Fork  was  bordered  by 
cane  brake,  within  which  game  abounded."  McAdoo's  Woods 
was  a  resort  for  bear,  deer,  wolf  and  panther.  C.  H.  Wiley  and 
Addison  Coffin  agree  iii  saying  that  there  were  all  kinds  of  game 
and  fish  in  abundance.  The  Address  on  Alamance  Church,  by  Dr. 
Wiley,  shows  ''that  shad  came  up  the  Buffalo."  At  one  time  the 
crows  and  blackbirds  were  so  numerous  and  destructive  a  law  was 
passed  that  each  m.an  should  kill  so  many.  (Life  of  Caldwell,  also 
Addison  Coffin  in  Guilford  Collegian,  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  8.)  A  bonus 
was  given  for  their  skins.  Before  1850  chestnuts  were  so  plentiful 
that  hogs  were  fattened  on  them.  The  ground  where  Greensboro 
is  situated  was,  when  the  site  was  chosen,  an  unbroken  forest  with 
a  thick  undergrowth  of  huckleberry  bushes,  that  bore  a  finely 
flavored  fruit.  Dr.  Wiley,  in  his  Address  on  Alamance  Church, 
says :  "That  a  scientific  Englishman,  who  was  in  the  Van  Buren 
exploring  expedition  around  the  world,  thought  that  he  found 
more  kinds  of  wild  flowers  in  Guilford  and  the  adjoining  region 
than  he  had  ever  seen  elsewhere." 

There  were  only  a  few  scattered  oaks  in  Guilford  previous 
to  the  Revolutionary  War.  (Col.  J.  T.  Morehead  and  others.) 
These  rolling  plains,  with  fertile  soil  and  temperate  climate,  fur- 
nished a  good  foundation  for  the  earliest  occupation  of  the  Pioneer 
Settler.  With  the  present  staples,  wheat,  corn  and  tobacco,  they 
cultivated  flax,  indigo,  hemp,  and  made  large  quantities  of  butter 
and  honey.  Agriculture,  mining,  manufacturing  and  many  of  the 
occupations  known  to  men  have  been  followed  here.  On  many  of 
the  old  plantations  were  made  most  of  the  things  of  common  use. 
vSalt,  and  on  rare  occasions,  a  pound  of  coffee,  were  bought. 

Guilford  has  been  a  leading  section  in  the  South  in  the  culti- 
vation of  fruit.  The  early  settlers  brought  with  them  from  across 
the  "Big  Waters"  seeds  of  the  different  kinds  of  fruits.  To  a 
Quaker  woman  is  due  the  honor  of  bringing  the  first  varieties  of 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  57 

fruits  and  j^arden  seeds  liorc.  In  1790,  says  Addison  Coffin  in  the 
Guilford  Colli'^iau  (\ol.  3,  papc  175).  Ann  Jessop,  a  minister  of 
Friends,  went  to  Enjjland  and  returned  two  years  later  brinpinj; 
e^rafts  of  the  standard  fruits.  Ahijah  Pinson,  an  expert  in  praft- 
inp.  did  the  work  of  successfully  j^raftinpf  her  seedlinp^  trees  in 
the  spring  of  1793.  These  varieties  of  apples  were  the  "Father 
Abraham."  "Red  Pippin,"  "June-eating:."  "Yellow  Pippin,"  "Enj^f- 
lish  Russett."  "Horse  Apple,"  "Pearmain."  "\'andever." 

While  enduring  hardships,  the  early  settlers  of  Guilford  were 
working  out  great  problems  that  would  reach  far  into  the  next 
century.  Tliere  are  now  about  forty  nurseries  in  the  state.  Four 
of  these  are  around  Greensboro — Pomona  Hill,  John  A.  Young, 
Lego,  and  X'andalia  Nurseries.  At  the  first  railroad  meeting  in 
Greensboro,  July  4, ,  Mr,  Joshua  Lindley  came  up  from  Chat- 
ham County  bringing  a  crate  of  the  first  ripe  peaches.  Thev  were 
considered  very  early,  but  at  the  present  his  son,  Mr.  J.  Van 
Lindley.  has  developed  the  culture  of  that  fruit  so  that  peaches 
may  be  gathered  from  the  trees  in  Guilford  from  June  to  Novem- 
ber. In  the  cultivation  of  fruits  the  name  Lindley  has  stood  for 
much.  Joshua  Lindley  was  the  pioneer  in  the  business  in  Indiana. 
(His  son,  J.  \'an  Lindley,  Pomona  Hill.  N.  C.)  In  1850  he  came 
to  Guilford  County.  Pomona  Hill  is  a  continuation  of  his  "New 
Garden  Nurseries"  and  the  "Mendenhall  and  Westbrook  Nur- 
series." three  miles  west  of  Greensboro.  In  the  last  twenty-five 
years  the  old-fashioned  pears  have  been  replaced  by  the  Oriental 
varieties,  and  the  quantity  greatly  increased.  Japanese  plums  have 
been  introduced,  which  are  more  delicious  and  productive  than 
the  old.    Guilford  is  the  mother  of  the  peach  orchards  of  Georgia. 

Though  the  soil  of  Guilford  is  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation 
of  wheat,  the  old  people  say  that  their  fathers  and  mothers  rarely 
saw  wheat  bread  except  on  Sunday.  This  was  due  largely  to  the 
want  of  a  good  thresher.  The  history  of  how  the  early  Guilford 
people  worked  out  the  problem  of  threshing  wheat  is  a  good  index 
to  their  power  of  industrial  development.    They  at  first  spread  the 


58  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

wheat  on  the  barn  floor  and  the  horses  were  driven  around  to  tread 
it  out.  Elihu  Coffin  made  an  improvement  on  this  method  by 
having  his  barn  loft  made  with  holes  all  over  the  floor  for  the 
wheat  to  drop  through.  So  the  horses  were  led  upstairs  to  tread 
the  wheat,  the  straw  being  left  above,  the  wheat  falling  on  the 
floor  below.  Dr.  Swain  had  a  means  of  threshing  by  rolling  a  big 
log  over  and  over  the  scattered  sheaves.  John  Ballinger  run  the 
first  thresher.  It  was  called  the  "chaff  piler."  The  sheaves  were 
run  through  it,  the  straw  and  wheat  coming  out  together.  The 
next  improvement  separated  them  by  means  of  a  trough,  which 
carried  the  straw  off,  this  being  an  invention  of  Addison  Boren. 
(All  these  improvements  were  thought  out  by  Guilford  men.) 

The  wheat  was  harvested  with  a  reap  hook  until  in  1840 
cradles  were  introduced.  Matthew  H.  Osborn,  a  Guilford  man 
who  went  to  Kansas  City,  invented  the  reaper.  Madison  Osborn 
invented  a  thresher  in  1842,  called  the  "Osborn  Thresher,"  or  the 
"ground-hog."  He  lived  about  six  miles  west  of  Greensboro. 
Before  the  war  of  i860,  three  hundred  bushels  was  an  unusually 
large  crop  of  wheat.  In  the  vicinity  of  Deep  River  and  James- 
town a  thousand  bushels  is  now  raised  by  many  farmers.  On  Mr. 
Ragan's  farm  near  High  Point,  one  of  the  best  wheat  farms  in  the 
state,  forty-seven  and  one-half  bushels  has  been  raised  to  the  acre. 
The  farm  yields  three  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  annually. 

THE  CRAFTS. 

The  industrial  development  of  Guilford  resembles  that  of 
New  England.  Whittier  might  have  written  his  "Songs  of  Labor" 
for  these  people  as  well  as  for  those  of  Massachusetts.  The  "Nan- 
tucketers"  brought  with  them  the  handicrafts,  and  the  idea  of 
apprenticeship.  New  England  ideas,  transplanted  from  Old  Eng- 
land. (See  the  Chapter  on  the  Settlement  of  Guilford  County.) 
Western  Guilford  is  Yankee  North  Carolina. 

The  old  records  show  (see  Chapters  V.  and  \'I.  above),  that 
the  boys,  and  girls  too,  were  trained  in  industrial  pursuits,  i.  e.. 


NORTH  C.-iROlJX.l.  69 

"to  learn  the  art  and  mystery"  of  weaver,  tanner,  hatter,  plow  or 
^ninmaker.  Guilford  was  the  county  ot  jjuninakers,  plowmakers, 
hatters,  tanners,  woodworkmen  and  other  industries. 

In  the  section  of  country  between  Guilford  College  and  Hiph 
Point  were  many  punmakers.  Though  this  was  under  Quaker 
influence,  a  people  opposed  to  war,  still  they  seemed  to  think  it 
the  rijjht  thinjj:  to  make  puns.  Ther-.'  were  the  Wriphts.  the 
.•\rmfields.  the  Lambs,  the  Ledbetters.  the  Stephens,  the  Couches, 
Dixons  and  Johnsons  who  made  puns  for  the  Regulators  and 
Tories  of  the  adjoining  counties.  The  soldiers  of  the  Rattle  of 
Guilford  C(Hirthouse  used  puns  of  home  manufacture.  Many  rifles 
were  made  here.  About  the  first  puns  with  percussion  locks  were 
made  by  these  people.  '"The  Guilford  Rifle"  was  known  in  the 
other  States. 

The  plows  of  Guilford  attracted  public  attention.  The  metal, 
or  cast-iron  mould-board,  succeedinp  the  wooden  mould-board, 
was  invented  in  1830  in  Guilford  by  Eli  Puph,  near  Jamestown. 
The  output  of  plows  from  his  shop  was  about  three  dozen  per 
week.  The  manufacture  of  plows  was  a  repular  business  for 
years ;  they  were  sold  directly  to  farmers,  beinp  hauled  by  agents 
in  wapons  for  many  miles. 

I  have  see.i  an  old  hatmaker  livinp  a  few  miles  from  Greens- 
boro. He  said  that  the  makinp  of  hats  in  this  county  was  once 
a  fine  busine.^s.  It  was  usual  to  pet  six,  eipht  or  ten  dollars  in 
those  days  for  hats.  The  hatters  used  the  hides  of  rabbits,  squir- 
rels, opossums,  coons,  foxes  and  sheep.  The  fur  was  trimmed 
v.ith  a  knife  made  for  that  purpose.  A  liquid  was  used  on  the  fur. 
That  mixture,  just  as  fine  as  silk,  was  "bowed  out  on  a  bip  hurl," 
like  a  counter.  A  linen  cloth  was  used  to  raise  it  from  the  hurl. 
A  rouplv  awkward  hand  could  not  touch  it  without  breakinp  it 
all  to  pieces.  With  the  linen  cloth  the  fur  was  moulded  into  the 
shape  of  the  letter  \'.  It  was  sized  over  the  fire  in  a  boilinp  pot. 
"It  would  felt  up  fast,  sometimes  too  fast."  In  a  few  moments  it 
v.as  touph  as  sole  leather  and  could  not  be  torn.    These  hats  held 


60  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

water  like  a  bucket.    A  ten-dollar  hat  lasted  ten  3'ears,  a  two-dol- 
lar hat  was  made  to  last  the  purchaser  two  years. 

The  Mendenhall  tanyard,  as  old  as  the  county,  is  still  doing 
business. 

The  greatest  auger-maker  in  the  State  was  j\I.  C.  Iddings. 
His  augers  and  gimlets  have  been  in  use  over  seventy-five  years. 
The  Swains  were  chair  and  bedstead  makers.  The  beds  were 
made  with  high  posts,  with  curtains  aroimd  the  top,  to  be  grace- 
fully looped  back.  The  "Valance,"  or  foot-curtains,  were  strung 
around  the  bottom. 

Westbrook,  the  tailor,  employed  several  hands  in  making 
suits  for  Guilford  and  neighboring  counties. 

Spinning  wheels  were  made  by  Col.  James  Neeley.  His  flax 
wheels  sold  for  four  dollars,  his  cotton  wheels  for  three  dollars. 

Ballard's  soap  yard  and  Beard's  hat  shop  were  industrial 
enterprises  until  the  slavery  question  drove  their  proprietors  west. 

A  notable  example  of  old-time  industries  carried  on  by  slave 
labor  was  at  Jamestown.  From  1820  to  1845  George  C.  Menden- 
hall had  a  large  system  of  industrial  labor  on  his  farm.  His 
slaves  were  all  special  workmen.  Being  taught  a  trade  they 
worked  at  it,  not  running  around  from  one  thing  to  another.  He 
introduced  the  system  that  prevailed  among  the  white  people.  In 
his  store  a  negro  clerk  sold  and  bought  goods.  His  harness  shop 
was  kept  by  a  slave,  a  set  of  whose  harness  before  the  War  took 
first  premium  at  the  State  Fair.  His  carpenter  helped  to  build 
the  capitol  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.  His  caterer  was  sent  to  wait  on 
President  Buchanan  when  he  visited  the  University  of  North 
Carolina.  George  Mendenhall  had  a  shoe  shop;  a  work  shop  in 
which  were  made  plows,  rakes,  hoes,  etc.;  a  large  flouring  mill, 
cotton  gin,  tanyard  and  farm,  all  worked  by  specialW  skilled 
negro  slaves. 

MINERALS  OF  GUILFORD. 

The  mining  interests  in  this  county  have  in  the  past  been 
worked  to  some  profit.    In  north  Guilford  is  the  iron  zone.    The 


].    \  AN    I.INDI 
liiMdNA,   N.   C. 


A'()A'77/  CAROLINA.  61 

old  iron  works  existed  in»the  days  of  Greene  and  Cornwallis.  In 
south  Guilford  is  the  pold  zone.  It  is  said  that  no  jjold  has  been 
found  north  of  the  railroad  in  Guilford,  but  south  of  it  ^old  and 
copper  ore  are  found.  Tradition  says  that  the  Iiulians  had  some 
knowledge  of  gold  in  this  section. 

The  following:  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by  Robert  W.  Hod- 
son  and  placed  in  my  hands  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Phillip 
Horney  Hodson. 

Plainficld,  Indiana,  5  nio.,  24th,  1879. 
P.  H.  Hodson. 

Dear  Cousin :  Thy  letter  reached  in  due  time,  I)ut  from  various  causes, 
has  not  been  replied  to  earlier.  I  have  been  from  home  and  otherwise 
engaged.  I  have  recently  returned  from  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  as  well  as  some 
shorter  visits  nearer  home. 

My  health  is  pretty  good  for  a  person  of  my  age  (in  my  83rd  year). 

.•\s  to  thy  inquiries  relative  to  the  gold  mines  in  N.  C.  The  mine 
where  I  worked  was  in  my  brother  Jeremiah's  land,  I  was  only  privileged 
to  work  on  a  certain  part  of  it  under  a  lease  to  my  father,  James  Kersey, 
and  myself. 

1  think  in  the  year  1825  my  brother  Jeremiah  and  I  in  prospecting 
along  a  branch  found  sonv.-  particles  of  gold  by  washing  the  sand  in  a 
pan  (a  little  previous  I  think  some  particles  had  been  found  on  John 
Teague's  land  near  by  on  another  branch,  perhaps  by  a  \Vm.  Jessup,  which 
was  afterwards  known  as  the  Homey  mine).  From  some  knowledge  of 
the  Geological  stratas  of  the  earth  we  coursed  the  vein  over  the  high  land 
to  the  next  branch,  thence  up  the  hill  some  distance,  where  a  ledge  of 
quartz  jetted  out,  not  more  than  a  foot  thick,  leading  S.  S.  \V.,  the  gen- 
eral course  of  ledges  of  rock  in  that  section  of  the  country.  \Vc  found 
some  particles  of  gold  in  quartz. 

After  harvest  that  summer  my  brother  and  I  commenced  sinking  a 
pit  on  the  hill,  went  perhaps  15  or  18  feet  deep,  looking  for  larger  pieces  of 
gold  than  are  generally  found  in  the  veins,  but  finding  none  then  gave  up 
the  pursuit  till  next  summer. 

In  the  meantime  I  applied  my  mind  closely  to  gain  a  knowledge  of 
Geolog>'.  .Mineralogy,  and  Metallurgy  from  the  best  books,  papers  and  men. 
&c..  in  my  reach — the  manner  of  gathering  and  working  metals  in  Peru  and 
elsewhere.  Then  we  commenced  work  with  a  little  better  understanding  of 
the  manner  of  gathering  gold  in  other  countries  by  following  the  vein  of 
quartz  only,  gathering  the  ore,  crushing  it  in  mortars,  grinding  it,  &c.,  and 


62  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

washing  with  Mercury.  We  washed  the  ore  first,  then  crushed  and  ground 
the  residue.  The  gold  in  the  ore  was  pure,  but  there  was  sulphates  of 
various  metals  combined  in  the  ore.  When  we  succeeded  in  the  work  it 
produced  a  wonderful  excitement.  Men  came  from  far  and  near,  went 
to  work  sinking  shafts  at  random  and  getting  no  pay. 

The  Horney  mine  was  soon  opened  and  worked  with  some  success; 
and  subsequently  many  other  places  in  Guilford  and  Randolph  Counties 
were  worked  for  gold,  though  copper  abounded  in  some  of  those  mines. 

I  think  gold  was  first  found  in  Cabarrus  County,  in  the  southwest  part 
of  the  State,  in  alluvial  beds  in  larger  pieces,  some  of  those  pieces  very 
large. 

We  worked  more  or  less  of  the  time  about  four  years  in  the  mine. 
The  value  of  the  ore  by  the  ton  varied  so  much  that  I  can  make  no  satis- 
factory estimate  of  it.  There  were  small  beds  in  the  veins  very  rich ;  we 
called  them  pockets. 

My  brother-in-law  and  myself  worked  together,  one  dug  ore,  one 
hauled  to  the  washing  place  and  the  other  washed.  Some  days  not  make 
more  than  $i.oo  to  the  hand,  other  days  much  more.  The  largest  day's 
work  we  ever  done,  was  to  dig  out  the  ore,  haul  it  to  the  washing  place 
and  wash  out  a  little  over  $90.00,  or  $30.00  to  the  hand.  We  only  went  a 
little  over  fifty  feet  deep  while  I  worked  the  vein.  The  vein  thickened  from 
near  a  foot  on  the  surface  to  near  five  feet  in  the  bottom.  We  sold  out,  I 
think,  in  the  spring  of  1831  to  Andrew  Lindsay,  James  Robbins  and  Jesse 
Shelly. 

Perhaps  I  need  not  say  more  at  present.  If  we  were  together,  we 
might  speak  of  many  things  transpiring  betwen  '25  and  '31  when  I  left 
Carolina  for  Indiana.    I  am  so  nervous  it  is  difficult  to  write. 

In  love,  thy  cousin,  Robert  W.  Hodson. 

Among  the  older  mines  of  Guilford  County  lying  from  six  to 
twelve  miles  south  and  southwest  from  Greensboro,  that  were, 
previous  to  the  Civil  War  or  at  one  time,  successfully  operated  for 
gold  and  copper,  are  "The  North  Carolina  or  Fentress  Mine," 
"The  Hodgin  Hill,"  "The  Fisher  and  Millis  Hill  Mine,"  "The 
Gardner  Hill  Mine,"  "The  McCulloch  or  North  State  Mine," 
"The  Lindsay  Mine,"  "The  Deep  River  Mine,"  "The  Guilford 
Mine,"  "The  Twin  Mine,"  and  some  twelve  to  twenty  miles  north 
and  east,  "The  Melvin  Mine"  and  "The  Gibson  Hill  Mine."  These 
mines  were  worked  to  depths  varying  from  fifty  to  three  hundred 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  68 

and  fiftv  feet,  tlic  quartz  veins  varying  in  width  from  one  foot  to 
twelve  feet  or  more.  They  produced  free  millinp^  pold  ores  run- 
ning' from  $2  to  $100  per  ton  or  more,  and  even  a  better  average 
gratle  of  iron  pyrites  gold  ores  from  which  they  were  unable  to 
extract  the  gold  with  the  methods  then  known  and  used. 

HISTCKV  OF  COTTON    .M.\NL'FACTLRI  NG. 

North  Carolina  is  the  pioneer  of  the  Southern  States  in  the 
manufacturing  of  cotton.  Feeble  beginnings  were  made  in  Lin- 
coln and  Edgecombe  Counties,  but  these  were  unsuccessful.  By 
these  failures  the  cause  was  hindered  rather  than  established. 

Henry  Humphreys,  a  citizen  of  Greensboro,  was  the  first  to 
demonstrate  that  cotton  manufacturing  might  be  carried  on  profit- 
ably in  the  South.  He  built  and  completed  the  Mount  Hecla  Steam 
Cotton  Mill,  in  1832.  To  build  a  cotton  factory  then  was  a  great 
undertaking.  The  machinery  had  to  be  hauled  in  wagons  either 
from  Petersburg,  \'irginia,  or  from  Wilmington,  North  Carolina. 
Postage  on  letters  was  twenty-five  cents.  Mr.  James  Danforth 
came  down  from  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  to  set  up  the  machinery, 
and  spent  a  year  or  so  teaching  the  people  how  to  run  it.  The 
hands  were  white  people  from  the  neighborhood. 

A  bill  of  lading  for  Mr.  Humphreys'  machincfy  says  that  "seventeen 
bo.\es  had  been  shipped  on  the  Schooner  Planet  whereof  Capt  I.  Cole  is 
master  for  this  present  voyage  now  lying  in  the  port  of  New  York  harbor 
and  bound  for  Petersburg,  \'a.  Goods  to  be  delivered  in  good  order  and 
well  conditioned  at  the  port  of  Petersburg,  Va.  (the  danger  of  the  seas 
only  is  excepted).  Freight  for  said  machinery  is  eight  cents  per  cubic  foot. 
These  goods  were  insured,  marine  insurance,  policy  costing  $1.25." 

•Another  letter  bears  date  of  August  5.  1835,  Paterson,  X.  J. : 
To  Mr.  Henry  Humphreys: 

Wages  with  mechanics  have  advanced  in  a  much  greater  ratio  and 
there  is  a  scarcity  of  workmen.  Besides  the  Trades  Unions  have  created 
throughout  all  the  whole  Northern  and  Eastern  section  of  the  country 
much  insubordination.  Workmen  have  struck  in  many  places  for  a  reduc- 
tion of  the  hours  of  labor.  The  cotton  mill  hands  have  been  standing  out 
for  eleven  hours  per  day  for  more  than  four  weeks. 


64  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

We  trust  the  reasons  stated  are  sufficient  to  justify  the  increased  price 
of  the  I20  spindle  frames.  Rogers,  Ketchen  &  Grownor. 

The  mill  was  built  of  brick  and  contained  four  stories,  with 
a  basement.  It  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  by  fifty  feet 
broad.  Tv/enty-five  hundred  spindles  and  seventy-five  looms  were 
run.  Sheeting,  shirting  and  osnaburgs  were  woven,  and  also  cot- 
ton yarn,  which  was  put  up  in  five-pound  packages  and  sold 
throughout  the  country  round  to  be  woven  on  old-fashioned 
looms.  When  the  mill  was  first  established  the  yarns  were  so 
popular  that  people  from  the  country  camped  all  around  the  fac- 
tory, v/aiting  for  the  yarns  to  come  off  the  machinery.  Other 
products  of  the  factory  were  hauled  in  large  wagons  to  Virginia, 
Tennesseee,  Kentucky  and  v/estern  North  Carolina. 

This,  the  first  cotton  mill  in  this  State,  stood  on  the  corner  of 
Bell  Meade  and  Green  Streets,  in  Greensboro,  N.  C.  Edwin  M. 
Holt,  who  became  the  leading  cotton  mill  owner  in  the  State  and 
in  the  South,  learned  the  cotton  manufacturing  business  from 
Henry  Humphreys.  (See  a  letter  of  Governor  Thos.  M.  Holt's  in 
the  "History  of  Alamance.") 

Currency  was  issued  by  Mr.  Humphreys.  This  bore  a  picture 
of  Mount  Hecla  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  Fifty-cent  bills,  dollar 
bills  and  three-dollUr  bills  were  issued  in  1837.  Many  of  these 
were  made  payable  to  Thomas  R.  Tate,  his  son-in-law. 

At  present  Gieensboro  is  the  home  of  one  of  the  great  cotton 
manufacturing  plants  in  the  State.  Western  Greensboro  is  a 
manufacturing  city  in  itself. 

The  Proximity  Manufacturing  Company,  manufacturers  of 
colored  cotton  goods,  was  organized  in  1895.     Its  ofiicers  are: 

Caesar  Conk,  President. 

B.  N.  Duke,  Vice-President. 

J.  W.  Cone:,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

R.  G.  Campbell,  Superintendent. 

This  mill  began  operations  in  the  latter  part  of  1896,  with 
about  240  looms,  and  now  has  985  looms.    The  company  employs 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  66 

abcKit  IK)0  people.  The  villajje  immediately  surrounding  thamill 
contains  about  .^oo  residences  and  a  population  of  about  2.500.  In 
the  village  there  arc  three  churches  of  various  denominations,  and 
also  a  public  graded  school. 

Hucomuga  Mills,  manufacturers  of  colored  cotton  goods,  was 
organized  in  1895  ?i"*l  t>egan  operations  the  same  year.  Its  of- 
ficers are : 

J.  \V.  Cone,  President. 

G.  O.  Coble.  Vice-President. 

Clarence  X.  Cone.  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

J.  H.  Dennv,  Superintendejit. 

This  mill  contains  144  looms. 

The  Revolution  Cotton  Mills,  manufacturers  of  cotton  flan- 
nels, organized  in  1899,  began  operations  in  1900.  The  officers 
are  : 

E.  Sternberger.  President. 
S.  Fk.xNK,  Vice-President. 
H.  Sternberger,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
J.  \V.  Holt,  Superintendent. 
This  mill  contains  374  looms. 

The  Coulter  &  Lowry  Co.  Finishing  Works  are  also  situated 
at  Ureensboro. 

The  \-an  De%  enter  Carpet  Co.  operates  the  onlv  carpet  fac- 
tory m  the  State. 

The  Minneola  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Gibsonville.  began 
busmess  m  1886  as  a  private  company,  of  which  B.  and  J  A 
Davidson  were  the  proprietors.  In  1888  the  company  was  incor- 
porated, with  Mr.  B.  Davidson  as  president  and  J.  A.  Davidson  as 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

In  1862  Oakdale  Cotton  Mills  were  moved  from  Petersburg. 
\  a.,  to  Jamestown,  in  Guilford  County,  where  thev  occupy  the 
site  of  the  old  gun  shops.  In  1892  the  original  stockholders,  ex- 
cept Mr.  J.  A.  Davidson,  retired,  and  Lawrence  Holt  became  the 
president.     Mr.  Holt  was  succeeded  in  1894  by  Cxsar  Cone   and 


66  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

he  in  1896  by  B.  Frank  Mebane,  of  New  York.  The  mill  is 
equipped  with  a  200-horse  power  Corliss  engine,  181  looms,  2,000 
spindles,  and  employs  150  hands. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

"After  the  War,"  men  said,  "fashions  came  and  destroyed 
our  peace."  P'actoi  y-made  cloth  and  calico  put  an  end  to  home- 
spun dresses.  After  the  war  cotton  was  per  pound  sixty  cents  in 
gold.  A  suit  of  clothes  was  worth  a  thousand  dollars  in  Confed- 
erate money.  Th2  soldiers  turned  farmers  and  wore  out  their 
army  clothing  in  the  cornfield.  Men  wore  homespun  hats  and  shoes 
with  wooden  soles.  People  practiced  all  sorts  of  economy.  The 
wom.en  of  North  Carolina,  God's  women,  thought,  planned  and 
worked,  during  the  War  and  while  its  darkest  clouds  were  pass- 
ing over,  they  held  the  country  together. 

During  the  Civil  War  Guilford  County  was  continually 
flooded  with  soldiers.  Wheeler's  Cavalry,  Johnson's  Army,  Sher- 
man's, marched  through.  In  1865  the  commissary  stores  at  Mc- 
Leansville  were  destroyed  for  fear  the  Yankees  would  appropriate 
these  supplies.  A  carload  of  shells  was  exploded,  barrels  and 
barrels  of  molasses  and  of  whiskey  were  burst  open.  Hungry 
women  dipped  up  molasses  from  the  gutters  in  buckets.  Hopeless 
m.en  lapped  up  the  liquor  like  dogs. 

Though  Guilford's  life-blood  was  freely  given  to  feed  the 
awful  fury  of  war,  still  her  industrial  life  was  not  choked  alto- 
gether. Her  people  did  not  have  the  greater  portion  of  their 
wealth  invested  in  slaves.  Of  course  there  were  some  large  slave- 
holders here ;  many  were  content  with  a  dozen  or  so.  One-third 
of  the  population  was  non-slaveholding,  the  western  half  of  Guil- 
ford being  largely  Quaker.  In  Warren,  Halifax  and  other  eastern 
counties,  many  slaveholders  owned  one  or  two  hundred  slaves. 
When  the  crash  came  they  suffered  most. 

The  remarkable  occurrences  of  nature  affect  industrial  life. 
On  the  night  of  the  thirtenth  of  September,  1833,  "the  stars  fell." 


NORTH  C.tNOLLWA.  6T 

Tlu'  shower  of  luetfors  hc^an  about  throe  o'clock  in  the  iiK^niiiitj 
ami  lasted  until  day.  Thousands  of  shootinp  lights  fell  to  the 
earth,  "just  like  the  snow"  cominj?  softly  down.  The  "bip  snows" 
came  in  1854  and  1857.  Ten-rail  fences  were  covered  out  of 
sight.  The  snow  in  the  roads  r»?ached  the  side  of  a  horse.  In 
1857  it  bei^an  snowinp:  before  Christmas,  on  Saturday,  and  for 
five  Saturdays  it  snowed.  Au<jitst  7.  1869,  there  was  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun.  ^~*-^ 

WOOD  WOKKMA.NSIIII'. 

In  1867  a  barrel  of  shuttle-l;l(Kks  made  of  persimmon  wood, 
as  an  experiment,  was  shippetl  from  Greensboro  to  Lowell,  Massa- 
chusetts. Prior  to  this  all  shuttle-blocks  had  been  made  of  apple 
trees,  very  costly  since  apple  trees  must  be  planted  and  allowed 
to  jjrow.  To  Captain  W.  H.  Snow  belonj^s  the  honor  of  the  dis- 
covery that  persimmon  and  dop^wood  and  some  other  North  Caro- 
lina timber  mij^ht  be  used  for  the  manufacture  of  shuttle-blocks. 
The  discovery  meant  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  State  as  well  as 
to  this  County,  ijreat  industrial  activity  and  enterprise  and  more 
wholesome  living.  Captain  Snow  demonstrated  to  Guilford  people 
the  way  to  utilize  the  unbounded  but  hitherto  untouched  resources 
of  th«ir  forests.  In  1872  he  went  to  High  Point  and  touched  the 
corpse  of  industry  and  it  sprang  into  life.  (See  Chapter  XII.  on 
the  Towns  of  Guilford.) 

NEWSP.M'ERS. 

The  newspaper,  as  invented  in  London  by  the  scholarly  Addi- 
son, was  a  factor  in  literature  in  which  the  drama,  the  theatre  and 
society  figured  largely.  Hut,  according  to  American  sentiment,  the 
newspaper  belongs  to  industrial  development. 

The  Greensboro  Patriot  through  fourscore  years  has  been  a 
factor  in  the  life  of  Guilford  County.  1821  was  its  birthyear  and 
't  has  since  been  continuously  published.  Its  circulation  is  large; 
many  homes  in  Piedmont  Carolina  would  feel  lost  without  its 
weeklv  visits.     The  Greensboro  Patriot  mav  be  found  in  almost 


68  GUILFCRD  COUNTY, 

complete  file  in  the  library  of  the  Greensboro  Female  College. 
This  paper  was  originated  by  C.  N.  V.  Evans  and  Clancey,  who 
were  succeeded  by  William  Swaim,. whose  successors  were  Lyndon 
Swaim  and  M.  S.  Sherwood.  Col.  James  A.  Long,  of  Randolph, 
was  at  one  time  connected  with  it ;  also  Hon.  D.  F.  Caldwell  and 
A.  W.  Ingold.  About  1867  Jam.es  W.  and  Robert  H.  Albright, 
who  had  been  publishing  the  Times  on  West  Market  Street, 
secured  control  of  the  Patriot  and  consolidated  the  two  publications 
under  the  name  of  the  Patriot  and  Times.  One  year  later  R.  H. 
Albright  sold  his  interest  to  J.  W.  Albright,  who  took  Major  P.  F. 
Dufify,  now  political  editor  of  the  Wilmington  Star,  as  an  associate. 
The  latter  became  sole  proprietor  about  1876  and  remained  so 
until  1880,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  R.  G.  Fulghum,  who  began 
a  daily  in  connection  with  the  weekly.  The  former  lasted  but  six 
months.  Mr.  Fulghum  died  in  1885,  but  had  been  succeeded  in 
1882  by  John  B.  Hussey,  then  librarian  of  Congress.  In  1890  the 
paper  became  the  property  of  Messrs.  Bethel,  Scales  and  Cobb.  A 
daily  edition  was  issued  from  May  to  November,  1890.  Wallace 
N.  Scales,  who  was  one  of  the  publishers,  moved  to  Idaho  and 
became  county  judge  in  that  State.  Mr.  Bethel  retired  from  the 
firm  in  March,  1890,  and  the  remaining  members  continued  to 
conduct  the  publication  until  1891,  when  J.  R.  Wharton  succeeded 
them.  Among  others  who  at  some  time  were  connected  with  the 
Patriot  were  Whitehead  &  Hemby.  In  1893  the  present  owners, 
W.  M.  Barber  &  Co.,  became  proprietors,  and  under  their  man- 
agement the  Patriot  has  fully  maintained  its  honorable  record  of 
the  past  and  broadened  its  field  of  usefulness.  It  is  a  paper  of  the 
people,  which  is  read  at  the  hearthstones  of  Guilford  County  and 
goes  to  other  counties  and  states  to  tell  those  who  are  bound  by 
ties  of  consanguinuity  and  social  or  business  connections  of  the 
weekly  happenings  in  the  County  of  Guilford.  The  staff  is: 
W.  M.  Barber,  editor ;  Wm.  I.  Underwood,  local  editor ;  and  Wil- 
liam P.  Turner,  foreman. 

The   Daily   Record   was   launched   on   the   journalistic   sea 


(. M'T.   W.    M.   SNOW, 
IIIC.ll    IHMNT.   N.  C. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  69 

November  17,  i8c)0,  with  Messrs.  H.  J.  Elam  and  J.  M.  Reece  as 
editors.  It  is  a  popular  paper,  orij^inally  five  columns,  but  its  size 
has  been  increased  at  various  times.  At  present  it  is  an  ei{jht- 
page,  six-column  evening  daily. 

The  Brett iti^i^  Telegram  was  established  in  July,  1897,  by  the 
Telegram  Publishing  Company,  with  Mr.  C.  G.  Wright,  president. 
It  was  a  six-column  folio  at  first,  but  was  enlarged  in  1898  to  a 
seven-column  folio.  It  is  a  lively,  up-to-date  publication,  gener- 
ously supported. 

INTERNAL  IMTROVKMENTS  IN  THE  STATE  INAUGURATED  IIV 
GUILFORD  MEN. 

"Even  as  late  as  1833,  a  committee  of  an  internal  improve- 
ment convention^  in  their  address,  say,  'We  have  nothing  that  de- 
serves the  name  of  maufactures.  No  process  for  changing  the 
values  of  the  raw  materials  are  in  use  among  us,  except  those 
effected  by  manual  labor,  or  by  machinery  of  the  very  simplest  and 
commonest  construction.'  " — Dr.  Wiley's  North  Carolina  Reader, 
page  341. 

About  this  time  internal  improvements  was  the  line  of  cleav- 
age in  politics ;  the  Whigs  represented  the  progressive  policy,  the 
Democrats  were  conservative. 

Among  the  names  connected  with  this  era  in  the  industrial 
history  of  the  State  that  deserve  to  be  remembered  are  John  M. 
Morehead.  John  A.  Gilmer — both  father  and  son — Calvin  Hender- 
son Wiley  and  Nereus  Mendenhall,  all  of  them  sons  of  Guilford. 

That  period  from  1830  to  1840  was  like  a  great  storage  bat- 
tery in  the  history  of  Guilford  County  and  North  Carolina,  not 
only,  but  of  the  world  as  well.  In  1833  slavery  in  all  the  English 
Colonies  was  abolished.  In  1830  the  first  railroad  was  run.  It 
went  from  Liverpool  to  Manchester.  In  this  decade  telegraph 
lines  were  first  stretched,  and  the  first  steamship  crossed  the  Atlan- 
tic. In  this  decade  Tennyson,  the  Brownings,  Thackeray,  Dickens 
and  Ruskin  became  famous.    They  were  unknown  before.    Ameri- 


70  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

can  literature  was  born  in  this  period.  Before  it,  Washington 
Irving  had  been  the  only  one  supreme  writer  in  this  country.  But 
in  this  ten  years  Bryant,  Holmes,  Whittier,  Longfellow  and 
Lowell  came  into  prominence. 

It  was  in  this  decade  that  the  "Internal  Improvement"  and 
"General  Education"  policies  thrilled  the  souls  of  people  in  North 
Carolina.  Governor  Alorehead  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  indus- 
trial development  and  studied  English  newspapers  and  English  im- 
provement. About  this  time  there  first  began  to  be  in  North  Caro- 
lina, railroads,  the  public  school  system,  colleges,  asylums  for  the 
insane,  the  deaf  and  dumb  and  the  blind,  the  penitentiary,  cotton 
factories,  banks,  good  roads  and  generosity. 

The  Legislatures  of  1840  and  1848  deserve  also  to  be  com- 
memorated— the  first  for  an  act  to  establish  eommon  schools, 
always  indicative  of  industrial  and  healthful  feeling;  and  the 
other  for  an  act  for  the  charters  of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad, 
the  Fayetteville  and  Western  Plankroad,  "The  Slackwater  Navi- 
gation of  the  Cape  Fear  and  Deep  Rivers,  and  prospectively  of 
the  Yadkin,  with  a  portage  railroad  connection  with  Deep  River." 
In  those  days  the  impulse  for  more  effective  transportation  was 
so  great  that  the  project  for  making  the  rivers  navigable  was 
entered  upon  with  enthusiasm.  The  Dan  River  even  was  one  on 
which  was  expended  much  means  and  labor  without  any  adequate 
returns. 

Governor  John  ]\I.  Morehead,  in  his  last  message  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  North  Carolina,  urged  upon  that  body  the  demands  of 
philanthropy  and  statesmanship  for  the  establishment  of  a  state 
asylum  for  the  insane,  which  had  before  been  housed  in  jails.  John 
A.  Gilmer's  speech  in  the  Senate  of  North  Carolina  was  a  most 
earnest  appeal  in  behalf  of  these  vmfortunates.  That  noble  and 
praiseworthy  woman,  Miss  Dorothea  L.  Dix,  of  New  York,  had  by 
her  personal  appeals  succeeded  in  inducing  the  Legislatures  of 
many  states  to  make  provision  for  the  insane.  It  was  through  her 
efforts  also  that  the  asylums  were  built.    The  Home  for  the  Aged 


NORTH  CAROUSA.  71 

and  Iiihrni  of  Guilford  County  was  planned  by  no  others  than 
Dorothea  Dix  and  Governor  Morehead.  Dr.  Xereus  Mendenhall 
lielpevl  in  a  ^reat  measure  toward  the  founding  and  erection  of 
the  Insane  Asylum  at  Morganton.  probably  the  best  institution  of 
the  kind  in  the  South. 

JOHN  M.  MOREHE.XD. 

Governor  John  Motley  Morehead  was  a  man  of  action  and  of 
great  affairs.  State  institutions,  railroads  and  factories  were  intro- 
duced into  North  Carolina  by  his  creative  hand.  Our  educational 
ami  industrial  life  received  an  im.pulse  from  this  man  that  can 
never  be  lost. 

John  M.  Morehead  was  born  the  fourth  of  July.  1796.  the 
birthyear  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  from  which,  in  1817, 
he  was  graduated,  with  John  Y.  Mason  and  James  K.  Polk.  For 
one  year  he  was  tutor  and  later  a  trustee  of  his  Alma  Mater.  Far 
more  than  is  usual  in  this  State,  he  was  familiar  with  hcllc  lettres, 
history,  arts  and  science.  In  practical  surveying  he  was  an  expert. 
On  mechanics  and  architecture  he  was  well  informed.  With 
Archibald  D.  Murphy  he  studied  law  and  in  1819  he  was  licensed 
to  practice.  His  contemporaries  were  Murphy,  Ruffin.  Settle  and 
Yancey,  an  array  of  intellect  sure  to  bring  out  the  best  in  man,  and 
soon,  in  the  face  of  competition,  he  had  built  up  a  fine  pra.ctice, 
with  his  brother,  the  Honorable  James  T.  Morehead.  In  1821, 
John  M.  Morehead  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Commons  from 
Rockingham  County.  In  1827  he  represented  Guilford  in  the 
Legislature.  In  1840  he  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  governor  of 
North  Carolina,  in  competition  with  General  R.  M.  Saunders, 
Democrat.  They  made  the  first  canvass  of  the  State  for  that  office. 
In  1842  Governor  Morehead  was  elected  to  a  second  term  of  office 
as  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  this  time  in  opposition  to  Hon. 
L.  D.  Henry. 

In  1 8^8  John  M.  Morehead  was  president  of  the  convention 
which   nominated   General   Taylor   for   President   of  the   L'nited 


72  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

States.  In  those  days  the  South  had  great  men  in  the  pubhc 
Hfe  of  the  nation.  Henry  Clay  was  a  personal  friend  of  Governor 
jMorehead.  In  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  of  1858- 
59,  Governor  JMorehead  fought  the  fight  for  the  railroad  system  of 
this  State,  a  fight  of  giants  about  a  real  subject.  In  the  Peace 
Congress  which  met  in  Washington  City  in  February,  1861,  Gov- 
ernor Morehead,  together  with  Judge  Rufiin,  Governor  Reid, 
George  Davis  and  Daniel  M.  Barringer,  represented  North  Caro- 
lina. Governor  Morehead  went  opposed  to  separation  of  the 
States,  but  he  returned  in  favor  of  it,  taking  the  cause  of  his  native 
land. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  North  Carolina  Rail- 
road, held  in  1855,  in  Greensboro,  Governor  JMorehead  said,  in  his 
farewell  address  as  president  of  the  company:  "Living,  I  have 
spent  five  years  of  the  best  portion  of  my  life  in  the  service  of  the 
North  Carolina  Railroad;  dymg,  my  sincerest  prayers  will  be 
offered  up  for  its  prosperity  and  its  success;  dead,  I  wish  to  be 
buried  alongside  of  it  in  the  bosom,  of  my  own  beloved  Carolina." 
After  the  War,  broken  in  spirits  and  with  fortune  impaired. 
Governor  IMorehead  died,  twenty-seventh  of  August,  1866,  a  man 
who  had  lived  a  hundred  years  ahead  of  his  time.  He  was  buried 
in  Greensboro,  where  a  beautiful  monument  should  be  erected  to 
his  memory. 

"When   Spring  with  icy  fingers  cold 

Returns  to  deck  her  hallowed  mould, 

She  there  shall  press  a  sweeter  sod 

Than  Fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod." 

The  Piedmont  Railroad  Company,  at  a  meeting  of  its  Board 
of  Directors  held  in  1866  in  Richmond,  \^irginia,  adopted  the 
following  resolutions :  "Resolved^  That  as  a  testimonial  of  our 
appreciation  of  the  exalted  talents  and  eminent  services  of  the 
Honorable  John  M.  Morehead,  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  con- 
struction of  many  of  the  most  important  railroads  in  his  own  state, 
but  specially  for  the  liberal  views  and  unceasing  efforts  for  the 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  73 

])ast  fifteen  years  to  obtain  the  charter  from  the  Legislature  of  his 
native  state  for  the  construction  of  this  Road,  the  depot  nearest 
Greensboro.  North  Carohna,  and  known  as  Sepinan,  shall  here- 
after be  known  and  designated  by  the  Company  as  'Morehead 
Depot.'  " 

Governor  Morehead  was  the  friend  of  education.  His  earnest 
support  was  given  to  the  efforts  made  for  the  public  school  sys- 
tem. Out  of  his  own  means  he  built  Edgeworth  Seminary  for 
young  ladies  and  gave  it  his  personal  attention.  This  was  a  school 
nnich  in  atlvance  of  the  time  in  scholarship.  In  his  young  man- 
hiMxl  he.  with  his  brother,  James  T.  Morehead,  gave  to  his  father- 
less brothers  and  sisters  a  liberal  education. 

With  John  M.  Morehead's  advent  into  the  gubernatorial 
chair,  the  idea  of  internal  improvements  reached  its  high-water 
mark  in  North  Carolina.  The  public  school  system  was  set  upon 
its  feet  through  the  personal  efforts  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley.  Asylums 
were  built  for  the  insane  and  for  the  deaf  and  bumb  and  blind. 
Governor  Morehead.  John  A.  Gilmer,  Miss  Dorothea  Dix  and 
others  combined  their  zeal  for  a  Hospital  for  the  Insane  of  the 
state,  who  had  up  to  this  time  lain  in  jails  without  medical  atten- 
tion, without  care.  The  speeches  of  Governor  Morehead  and  John 
A.  Gilmer,  two  sons  of  Guilford,  before  the  Legislature,  are  classic, 
equal  to  Cicero. 

Governor  Morehead  was  a  man  of  action  and  business 
capacity.  "The  City  of  Jackson."  in  Rockingham  County,  showed 
his  efforts  at  city-building.  This  would  have  been  a  great  success 
had  nature,  too,  done  her  part. 

In  1842  people  were  discussing  whether  or  not  North  Caro- 
lina should  have  a  penitentiary.  In  his  message  Governor  More- 
head  directed  the  attention  of  the  General  Assembly  to  this  sub- 
ject. John  M.  Morehead  was  the  great  industrial  magnet  of  the 
state. 

Ah !  this  man  was  a  man  with  a  head,  heart,  hand- 
One  of  the  simple,  great  ones  gone 
Forever  and  ever  by. 


74  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

He  owned  cotton  mills,  had  many  slaves,  which  was  a  paying- 
business  ;  was  a  large  farmer,  great  lawyer ;  but  his  great  work  for 
the  state  was  better  transportation,  good  roads,  railroads.  The 
work  of  building  the  railroad,  beginning  at  Raleigh  and  Charlotte 
and  working  toward  a  common  centre,  met  in  January,  1856,  near_ 
Greensboro.  It  was  a  gala  day  in  the  little  city  when  the  first  train 
came  in.  The  young  ladies  from  Edgeworth  Seminary  had 
special  privileges  to  go  down  and  ride  in  on  the  first  train.  The 
people  came  from  far  and  near  to  see  carriages  without  horses. 
Prior  to  this  the  mail  arrangements  were  as  follows :  Eastern, 
daily ;  southwestern,  daily ;  western,  three  times  a  week ;  Danville 
mail,  three  times  a  week.  When  the  railroad  was  completed  to 
Raleigh  in  1840,  the  news  was  brought  to  Greensboro  by  a  stage- 
coach driver.  Fifty  years  ago  it  was  thought  dangerous  to  ride 
faster  than  ten  miles  an  hour.  Today  Greensboro  is  probably  the 
most  accessible  city  of  the  state.  The  North  Carolina  Railroad, 
the  Northwestern  North  Carolina  Railroad,  the  main  line  of  the 
Southern  Railway,  and  the  Atlantic  and  Yadkin  Valley  Railway 
meet  at  Greensboro.     Forty  or  more  trains  come  daily. 

CORPORATIONS  IN  GUII.FGRD  COUNTY. 

Capital  Stock. 

American  Lumber  Co $  20,ooO' 

Brooks  Manufacturing  Co 5,ooo 

Central  Carolina  Fair  Association 3,50O 

Cape  Fear  Manufacturing  Co 10,700 

Chisholm,  Stroud,  Crawford,  Rees 15.000 

Carolina  Mfg  Co 6,000 

Cone  Export  and  Commission  Co tax  400 

Eagle  Furniture  Co 35,ooa 

Greensboro  Lumber  Co 15,000 

Gate  City  Furniture  Co 6,850 

Greensboro  Ice  and  Coal  Co 10,000 

Greensboro  Furniture  Mfg.  Co 20,000 

Gibsonville  Store  Co 3.50O 

Globe  Furniture  Co 40,000 

Goose  Grease  Liniment  Co lO 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  76 

Guilford  Lumber  Mfg.  Co 27,400 

Hucomuga  Mills  7.500 

Hunter  Mfg.  Co SO.ooo 

Harry-Bdk  Brothers  10,000 

1  lagueMcCorklc  Ory  Goods  Co 20,000 

High  Point  .Milling  Co 2.000 

High  Point  Hardware  Co 6.000 

High   Point  CotVni  and  Casket  Co 16.000 

High  Point  Mantel  and  Table  Co 15.000 

High  Point  Clothing  Co 7.500 

High  Point  Trunk  and  Excelsior  Mfg.  Co 4.100 

High  Point  Metallic  Bed  Co 10,000 

High  Point  Shirt  Mfg.  Co 10.000 

Home  Furniture  Co 43.000 

High  Point  Chair  Co 10.000 

Johnson  Bros.  &  Co 4.000 

Julian  Milling  Co 5.300 

Lindsay  Chair  Co 24.000 

\'3n  Lindley  Nursery  Co 40.000 

Merchants*  Grocery  Co 18.000 

Mount  Pleasant  Mfg.  Co 37-20O 

Mineola  Mfg  Co 40,000 

North  State  Bobbin  Co 3.050 

Odell  Hardware  Co 49.500 

Oakdale  Cotton  Mills « 50.000 

Piedmont  Cotton  Co 5.000 

Pomona  Terra  Cotta  Co 25.000 

Pro.xiiTiity  Mfg.  Co 150.000 

Piedmont  Shuttle  Works 5,000 

Piedmont  Table  Co 1 2.400 

Revolution  Cotton  Mills 300.000 

L.  Richardson  Drug  Co 22,000 

Sunmierficld  Gun  Club 300 

J.  W.  Scott  Co 30.000 

Sherwood  Bobbin  Mfg.  Co 6.000 

Simpson-Shields  Shoe  Co 18.000 

Snow  Lumber  Co 75.000 

Snow  Basket  Co 3.500 

Southern  Chair  Co 20,000 

Tucker  &  Irwin 2,000 

Tate  Furniture  Co 48,000 


76  GUILFCRD  COUNTY, 

Tomlinson  Chair  Co 9,ooo 

Vanstory  Clothing  Co l8,ooo 

Victor  Chair  Co 1,250 

West  End  Land  Co 2,400 

Ward  Shoe  Co 3,000 

Wakefield  Hardware  Co 12,100 

Welch  Furniture  Co 15,000 


NORTH  CAROUSA. 


CIIATTKR  X. 

HISTORY    OF    EDUCATION    I.N    GUILFQKD    tol  NIV. 

Prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War  the  classical  school  of  Dr. 
David  CaUlwcll  was  the  centre  of  educational  work  in  the  state 
and  in  the  south.  The  early  settlers  brou.s^ht  with  them  love  of 
cuUure.  The  education  of  the  orphan  children  was  cared  for  by 
law  and  manual  training  given  them. 

The  old  Minute  Rooks  of  Pleas  and  QCiartcr  Sessions  have  many  in- 
stances of  children  being  bound  out  to  a  master,  who  would  give  them  a 
certain  number  of  months  at  school  and  "to  learn  them  the  art  and  mystery 
of  weaving,"  or  farming,  or  coopering,  etc..  and  give  them  freedom  dues,  a 
set  of  tools  and  a  suit  of  clothes.  The  masters  agreed  "to  find  tliem  suf- 
ficient dyet  and  lodging  and  give  them  learning  as  the  law  directs."  One 
record  shows  the  boy  should  get  "one  suit  on  and  off  when  free"  and  "learn 
the  art  and  mystery  of  a  tanner." 

In  the  Minute  Book  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  of 
1784,  page  82.  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  at  Greensboro,  N.  C,  is  shown  that 
Mary  Carnaham,  aged  ten  years,  was  bound  to  Andrew  Carnaham  until  she 
arrive  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Her  guardian  promised  then  to  give 
her  a  cow  and  calf  and  spinning  wheel,  also  he  promised  to  give  her  a 
year|s  schooling  as  soon  as  possible. 

In  November,  1784,  it  is  ordered  that  William  Millon,  orphan,  aged 
thirteen  years  the  fifteenth  of  February  next,  be  bound  to  John  McBride 
until  he  arrive  at  tlie  age  of  twenty-one  years,  to  learn  the  art  of  a  cooper, 
and  the  said  John  McBride  dotli  here  agree  to  learn  or  caused  to  be  learned 
the  said  apprentice,  \Vm.  Millon,  to  read,  write  and  cipher  as  far  as  the 
rule  of  three,  before  he  is  free,  and  at  the  time  of  his  freedom  to  give  him 
one  good  suit  of  clothes  and  a  set  of  tools." 

Minute  book  of  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions.  May,  1799: 
"Ordered  that  Abigal  Perr)',  aged  eight-  years,  an  orphan,  be  bound  to 
Capt.  Patrick  Shaw  until  she  arrive  at  the  age  of  maturity  agreeable  to  law, 
at  and  before  which  time  he  is  to  learn  her  to  read  the  Bible  and  also  the 
different  arts  of  a  spinsttr  and  to  give  her  a  full  suit  of  dollies,  win 11  free. 
exclusive  of  her  common  apparel  and  also  a  new  tlax  wheel." 


78  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Minute  Book,  August,  1804,  page  300:  "Ordered  that  a  child  of  color, 
aged  six  years,  named  Hannah,  free  born,  be  bound  to  James  Dicks  until 
she  arrives  at  the  full  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  is  to  teach  her  to  read 
and  to  give  her  freedom  dues." 

From  Colonial  days  Guilford  County  has  been  foremost  in 
educational  work  in  North  Carolina.  Presbyterian  and  Quaker 
have  been  alike  zealous  in  the  cause.  Soon  after  building  homes 
in  the  pioneer  country,  churches  and  schools  were  erected.  As  in 
the  Old  Country,  Church  and  State  had  been  united,  so  in  this 
New  Country  Religion  and  Education  were  at  first  closely  allied. 
The  preacher  was  most  often  teacher  as  well.  In  1766  or  '67  Dr. 
David  Caldwell  established  his  classical  school  in  Guilford  County, 
at  that  time  the  northeastern  part  of  Rowan  County,  about  three 
miles  from  the  present  site  of  Greensboro.  This  became  the 
most  noted  school  of  the  South.  For  many  years  "his  log  cabin 
college  served  for  North  Carolina  as  an  academy,  a  college,  and 
a  theological  seminary."  An  able  Presbyterian  divine,  the  Rev. 
E.  B.  Currie,  says  that  "Dr.  Caldwell,  as  a  teacher,  was  probably 
more  useful  to  the  church  than  any  one  man  in  the  United  States."* 

"Five  of  his  scholars  became  governors  of  different  states ; 
many  more  became  members  of  Congress ;  and  a  much  greater 
number  became  lawyers,  judges,  physicians  and  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  It  would  have  been  a  credit  to  any  man  to  have  been 
the  instructor  of  such  men  as  Judge  Murphy,  Judge  IMcCoy,  John 
M.  Morehead  and  others." 

The  most  illustrious  names  in  the  educational  history  of 
North  Carolina  are  the  names  of  David  Caldwell,  from  1766  to 
1824;  Dr.  Calvin  Henderson  Wiley,  from  1840;  and  Dr.  Charles 
D.  Mclver  in  later  years,  upon  whom  the  sacred  mantle  has 
descended. 

DR.  DAVID  CALDWELL. 

David  Caldwell,  the  son  of  a  Scotch-Irish  farmer,  was  born 
in   Lancaster  County,   Pennsylvania,   March  the  twenty-second, 

*  See  the  Hist   of  Education  in  N.  C,  by  Charles  Lee  Smith,  page  2". 


XORTH  C.-IROLLWA. 


19 


1723.  After  receiving  the  riuliments  of  an  education,  he  bepan 
hfe  as  a  carpenter,  working  at  tliis  trade  until  his  twenty-sixth 
year.  Decithnj;  to  become  a  minister,  his  tirst  steps  were  to  obtain 
a  classical  education.  For  some  time  he  studied  in  eastern  Penn- 
svlvania  at  the  school  of  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  the  father  of  John 
W.  Smitli.  president  of  Hampden-Sydney  College,  and  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  D.  D.,  at  one  time  president  of  Princeton 
College.  Before  entering  college  David  Caldwell  taught  school 
one  or  more  years. 

At  the  time  he  entered  Princeton,  "candidates  for  admission 
into  the  lowest  class  must  be  capable  of  composing  grammatical 
Latin,  translating  X'irgil.  Cicero's  Orations,  and  the  four  Evan- 
gelists in  Greek." 

His  biographer.  Dr.  Caruthers,  relates  that:  "An  elderly  gentleman  of 
good  standing  in  one  of  Dr.  Caldwell's  congregations  stated  to  me  *  *  * 
that  when  a  young  man  Dr.  Caldwell  was  spending  a  night  at  his  father's 
one  summer  about  harvest,  and  while  they  were  all  sitting  out  in  the  open 
air  after  supper  •  *  *  Dr.  Caldwell  observed  that,  so  far  as  his  own 
experience  had  gone,  there  was  nothing  unwholesome  in  the  night  air;  for 
while  he  was  in  college,  he  usually  studied  in  it  and  slept  in  it,  during  the 
warm  wcathtr,  as  it  was  his  practice  to  study  at  a  table  by  the  window,  with 
the  sash  raised,  until  a  late  hour,  then  cross  his  arms  on  the  table,  lay  his 
head  down  and  sleep  there  until  morning.  This  was  not  very  far  behind  the 
most  inveterate  students  of  the  seventeenth  century,  *  *  *  and  a  man 
who  had  strength  of  constitution  to  pursue  such  a  course  of  application, 
though  of  moderate  abilities,  could  hardly  fail  to  become  a  scholar."  See 
Caruther's  Caldwell,  page  20. 

In  1 761  he  graduated  at  Princeton.  For  a  year  he  taught  at  tape  May, 
then  took  a  graduate  course  and  acted  as  tutor  in  languages  as  well  at 
Princeton. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  held  at  Princeton.  1762,  David  Cald- 
well was  received  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  In  1763  he  was  licensed 
to  preach;  in  1764  he  labored  as  a  missionary  in  North  Carolina,  returning 
to  New  Jersey  m  1765.  being  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry,  he 
immediately  returned  to  North  Carolina,  where  he  labored  as  missionary, 
until  March  3,  1768,  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Buffalo  and  Alamance 
congregations,  of  Guilford  County. 

Dr.  Caldwell  was  one  of  the  first  Presbvterian  ministers  to 


80  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

make  the  state  his  permanent  home.  His  history  is  identified  with 
the  reHgious  and  educational  history  of  the  state  more  than  is  that 
of  any  other  one  man  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Dr.  Caldwell  was  one  of  the  first  Presbjiierian  ministers  to  make  the 
State  his  permanent  home.  His  history  is  identified  with  the  reHgious  and 
educational  history  of  the  State  more  than  is  that  of  any  other  one  man  of 
the  eighteenth  century. 

In  1766  he  married  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead,  and 
as  the  salary  from  his  churches  was  not  sufficient  for  the  support  of  a 
family,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  increa.se  his  fortune.  He  established 
the  first  institution  for  the  higher  education  that  achieved  more  than  local 
fame.  The  average  attendance  of  students  was  from  fifty  to  sixty,  a  large 
number  for  the  time  and  the  country.  The  school  was  not  interrupted  by 
the  war  until  1781,  the  students  being  in  the  American  army.  The  number 
was  small  until  peace. 

Judge  Archibald  D.  IMurphy,  in  an  address  before  the  literary  societies 
of  the  University  of  North  Carolina  in  1827,  referring  to  the  facilities  for 
higher  education  before  the  opening  of  the  University  in  1795,  said  :  "That 
the  most  prominent  and  useful  of  these  schools  was  that  of  Dr.  David  Cald- 
well, of  Guilford  County.  The  usefulness  of  Dr.  Caldwell  to  North  Caro- 
lina will  never  be  sufficiently  appreciated.  The  facilities  of  the  'school 
were  limited.  His  students  were  suppHed  with  a  few  Greek  and  Latin 
classics.  The  students  had  no  books  on  history  or  miscellaneous  literature. 
There  were  indeed  very  few  books  in  the  State,  except  in  the  libraries  of 
lawyers  who  lived  in  the  commercial  towns."  "I  well  remember  that  after 
completing  my  course  of  studies  under  Dr.  Caldwell  I  spent  nearly  two 
years  without  finding  any  books  to  read,  except  on  theological  subjects. 
*  *  *  Few  of  Dr.  Caldwell's  students  had  better  opportunities  of  get- 
ting bookj  than  myself.  At  this  day,  1827,  when  libraries  are  established 
in  all  our  towns,  when  every  man  has  a  collection  of  books,  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  the  inconveniences  under  which  young  men  labored  thirty  or  forty 
years  ago." 

During  the  Revolution,  Dr.  Caldwell  was  in  the  prime  of 
manhood  and  his  service  to  the  state  was  of  great  value.  Hated 
alike  by  Tories  and  British,  he  was  driven  from  home  and  to 
escape  his  enemies  was  forced  to  spend  many  nights,  in  the  forest. 
His  library  and  many  valuable  papers  which  he  had  prepared 
were  destroyed.    They  tried  to  seduce  him  with  British  gold,  but 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  81 

neither  persecution  nor  money  could  shake  his  loyaUy  to  the  cause 
of  America.  "Dr.  Caldwell  was  a  memher  of  the  State  Convention 
of  1776,  which  drew  up  the  'Bill  of  Riijhts'  and^  framed  the  Con- 
stitution. He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  to  consider  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  in  1778,  where  he  took  a  decided 
stand  as  an  advocate  of  states'  rig:hts."  When  the  University  of 
North  Carolina  was  erected  he  was  urjjed  to  accept  the  presidency. 
In  1810  the  institution  conferred  upon  him  the  dep^ree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity. 

Dr.  Caldwell  died  the  twenty-fifth  of  Aufjust,  1824.  It  is 
said  that  "time-worn  veterans  in  the  service  of  their  country,  men 
who  have  stood  firm  ap^ainst  the  intrigues  of  ambition,  who  have 
fous:ht  tjie  battles  of  freedom  and  maintained  the  rijjhts  of  the 
pc<iple  in  the  halls  of  our  National  Legislature,  year  after  year, 
until  they  had  grown  gray  in  the  service,  have  been  known  to  shed 
tears  at  the  mention  of  his  name,  when  passing  in  public  convey- 
ance by  the  place  where  his  remains  lie  buried,  and  by  the  church" 
in  which  they  had  heard  him  preach.    (Caruthers'  Caldwell,  p.  36.) 

The  work  of  Dr.  Caldwell  had  carried  the  educational  devel- 
opment near  the  beginning  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley's  work  for  the 
state.  Now  let  us  go  back  to  bring  forward  another  thread  in  the 
educational  growth  in  this  County.  During  the  last  decades  of  the 
eighteenth  century  Richard  IMendenhall  was  demonstrating 
Quaker  patriotism  by  teaching  at  night  for  si.xteen  years  in  his 
store  at  Jamestown,  furnishing  books  and  tuition  free  of  charge. 
Young  men,  old  men  and  boys,  busy  struggling  with  the 
problem  of  existence,  were  taught  the  rudiments  of  education. 
Richard  Mendenhall,  himself  a  classical  and  mathematical  scholar 
of  ability,  inspired  a  love  of  culture.  A  monthly  paper.  The  Public 
School  Journal,  published  by  him,  was  probably  the  first  paper  in 
the  South  in  the  interest  o(  education. 

From  1820  to  1830  George  C.  Mendenhall  was  the  most 
prominent  man  in  this  section  of  the  state — lawyer,  farmer, 
wealthy  slave-owner  and  teacher.    On  his  farm  the  negroes  were 


82  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

trained  as  special  workmen ;  carpentry,  harnessmaking,  shoemak- 
ing,  tailoring,  cooking,  agriculture,  reached  a  high  state  of  per- 
fection.   The  problem  of  the  education  of  the  negro  was  solved. 

"Tellmont,"  the  law  school  of  George  C.  Mendenhall  (for 
-white  students),  was  situated  on  a  beautiful  knoll  on  his  farm  at 
Jamestown.  Long  cedar  avenues  leading  up  to  it  were  terraced 
and  the  grounds  rendered  otherwise  attractive.  Some  of  the 
State's  eminent  lawyers  here  received  instruction  for  their  life- 
work,  Judge  Dick,  Judge  Armfield,  ^Ir.  Simmons  of  Montgomery 
•County,  and  others. 

About  1830  Horace  Cannon  taught  in  "the  little  brick  school 
house"  at  New  Garden.  His  school  was  largely  attended.  He 
gave  instruction  in  philosophy  and  Brown's  English  Gramhiar. 
(His  son,  Joseph  G.  Cannon,  is  a  leading  Republican  in  Congress 
from  Illinois.) 

In  1833  a  classical  school  for  males  was  founded  as  Greens- 
boro by  the  Orange  Presbytery,  called  Caldwell  Institute.  Rev. 
Dr.  Alexander  Wilson,  a  man  of  high  scholarship  from  Ireland, 
became  principal,  with  Rev,  Silas  C.  Lindsay  as  assistant.  After 
two  years  Rev.  John  A.  Gretter  was  added  to  the  faculty.  In  1844 
Prof.  Ralph  H.  Graves  succeeded  him. 

About  this  time  the  school  was  moved  from  Greensboro  to 
Hillsboro,  N.  C.  The  Greensboro  High  School  was  chartered  to 
take  its  place,  with  John  M.  IMorehead,  John  M.  Dick,  John  A. 
Gilmer  and  others  as  trustees.  Its  principal.  Rev.  Dr.  Eli  W. 
Caruthers,  was,  like  Dr.  David  Caldwell,  a  graduate  of  Princeton, 
and  the  pastor  of  Buffalo  and  Alamance  churches.  He  wrote  a  life 
of  Dr.  Caldwell  and  history  of  the  "Old  North  State,"  valuable 
contributions  to  the  North  Carolina  literature.  In  no  small  way 
did  he  serve  the  people  of  the  state.  A  classical  school  at  Old  Ala- 
mance church  was  taught  by  him. 

The  decade  from  1830  to  1840  in  North  Carolina  was  full  of 
effort  and  enthusiasm  for  education.  In  this  period  Baptists, 
Methodists,  Presbvterians  and  Friends  each  resolved  that  educa- 


XORTH  CAROLIX.l.  88 

tion  was  the  question  of  paramount  importance,  and  the  demoni- 
national  colleges  of  the  State  were  foumled  ;  Wake  Forest,  in  1832  ; 
Trinity  Collej;e.  in  1838;  Davidson  Collepfe,  in  1836:  New  Garden 
Boarding:  School,  in  1837;  Greensboro  Female  College,  in  1837. 
Of  these  five  denominational  colleges  in  the  state,  two  were  in 
Guilford  County — Xew  Garden  lioarding  School  and  Greensboro 
Female  College.     Xew  Garden  lioarding  School  became,  in  1888, 

GUII.I'ORD  COULKCK. 

Six  miles  west  of  Greensboro,  on  a  beautiful,  undulating 
plateau,  is  located  Guilford  College,  or  Xew  Garden  r>oarding 
School  of  Friends.  For  a  hundred  years  the  Yearly  Meeting,  the 
highest  authority  of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  the  State,  was  held 
here.  (  Since  1881.  High  Point  has  been  the  scat  of  that  assembly.) 

Guilford  College  had  its  origin  in  a  deep  religious  concern  for 
the  education  of  the  members  of  the  Xorth  Carolina  Yearly  fleet- 
ing and  for  the'  promotion  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Nothing 
less  powerful  than  religion  could  have  sustained  the  worthy  men 
and  women  in  their  struggle  against  poverty  and  indifference  for 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  this  school  for  their  own 
children  and  for  future  generations.  Steps  prelimmary  to  its 
erection  were  taken  at  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  1830.  Subordinate 
meetings  were  asked  to  report  the  following  year  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  schools  attended  by  the  children  of  Friends,  of  Friends' 
children  of  school  age.  and  tlic  number  of  these  not  in  school.  The 
subordinate  meetings  reported  that :  "There  is  not  a  school  in  the 
limits  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  under  the  care  of  a  committee  either 
of  monthly  or  preparative  meetings.  The  teachers  of  Friends' 
children  are  mostly  not  members  of  the  Society  and  the  schools 
are  in  a  mixed  state;  which  brought  the  Meeting  under  exercise 
for  a  better  plan  of  education,  and  Dougan  Clark,  Jeremiah  Hub- 
bard, Nathan  Mendenhall,  Joshua  Stanley  and  David  White  were 
appointed  to  prepare  an  address  to  the  subordinate  meetings  on  the 
subject  of  schools." 


84  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

That  address  contained  the  following  high  estimate  which 
Friends  have  in  regard  to  education :  "We  believe  that  the  Chris- 
tian and  literary  education  of  our  children,  consistent  with  the 
simplicity  of  our  profession,  is  a  subject  of  very  deep  interest,  if 
not  of  paramount  importance,  in  supporting  the  various  testi- 
monies that  we  profess  to  bear  to  the  world,  and  even  the  very 
existence  and  continuance  of  the  Society." 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  receive  subscriptions  for  the 
establishment  of  a  boarding  school,  and  $370.55  was  received  that 
year.  Another  committee  was  appointed  later  to  digest  a  plan 
relative  to  buying  a  farm  on  which  to  locate  the  school.  In  1832 
$1200  was  subscribed,  and  a  plan  of  operation  was  proposed.  This 
plan  was  that  a  small  farm  be  bought,  buildings  erected  for  the 
accommodation  of  fifty  boarding  pupils.  The  institution  should 
be  near  a  meeting  house,  "somewhere  within  the  limits  of  New 
Garden,  Deep  River,  Western,  or  Southern  Quarterly  Meetings." 
The  farm  was  not  to  be  located  on  a  public  road,  it  was  to  be 
provided  with  an  orchard  to  furnish  fruit  for  the  students,  and  a 
pasture  for  cattle  for  the  convenience  of  the  institution ;  the  farm 
was  to  be  in  a  healthful  neighborhood  and  watered  by  a  con- 
stantly running  stream.  The  farm,  the  orchard,  the  dairy,  the 
running  brooks  and  the  healthful  environment  have  always  been 
marked  features  of  this  school. 

A  committee,  appointed  by  the  Yearly  Meeting,  consisting  of 
tw^o  men  and  two  women  from  each  of  the  Quarterly  Meetings, 
decided  upon  the  location,  appointed  the  superintendent  and 
teachers.  This  was  probably  the  first  time  it  was  ever  seriously 
proposed  to  appoint  women  for  such  duties  in  North  Carolina. 

Each  monthly  meeting  within  the  limits  of  the  Yearly  Meet- 
ing was  to  select  one  man  or  woman  who  would  be  willing,  when 
sufficiently  educated,  to  teach  in  the  primary  or  monthly  meeting 
schools.  These  were  to  be  educated  at  the  expense  of  the  monthly 
meeting,  or  from  the  general'  fund  of  the  Yearly  Meeting,  if  the 
parent  or  guardian  were  unable  to  pay. 


In  183.^  the  school  was  located  at  New  C.anlcii.  A  cliartcr 
from  the  General  Asscnihly  was  obtained  through  George  C.  Mcn- 
denhall.  that  year  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  North  Carolina.  In 
1834  Klihu  Cotlin  donated  a  tract  of  seventy  acres  of  land,  adja- 
cent to  that  first  bouj^ht.  Interest  in  the  school  was  not  confined 
to  the  North  Carolina  Yearly  Mcetino;.  Interest  in  education  was 
the  chord  of  vibration  between  North  Carolina  Friends  and  those 
of  England.  Philadelphia  and  elsewhere.  In  1834  English  Friends 
had  given  $2000  for  buildings;  in  1837  Joseph  John  Gurney,  of 
England,  gave  $500,  one-half  of  which  was  to  be  used  as  the 
trustees  saw  fit,  tjie  other  half  in  aiding  the  children  of  Friends 
unable  to  meet  the  expenses  of  their  education.  Through  the 
gifts  of  English  Friends  "early  provision  was  made  to  defray  the 
expenses,  wholly  or  in  part,  of  ten  children  at  the  school.  This 
assistance  was  given  for  several  years  at  a  period  in  the  history  of 
the  school  when,  but  for  this  aid,  "the  attendance  would  have  been 
discouragingly  small."  George  Rowland,  of  New  England  Yearly 
Meeting;  Roland  Green,  of  Rhode  Island;  Francis  T.  King,  a 
noble  philanthropist  of  Baltimore;  New  York  Yearly  Meeting, 
Philadelphia  Friends  and  others  have  given  large  contributions. 
At  present  the  school  is  well  endowed. 

"Of  the  members  of  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting,"  said 
President  Hobbs  in  his  address  on  August  23,  1883,  before  a 
students'  reunion,  "no  one.  perhaps,  exerted  a  greater  influence 
for  the  school  at  home  and  abroad  than  Nathan  Hunt.  An  emi- 
nent minister  of  the  gospel,  he  used  his  extraordinary  eloquence  to 
aid  the  effort  which  was  being  made  for  the  establishment  of  a 
higher  institution  of  learning." 

Destined  not  to  close  its  doors  though  Civil  War  raged  wild, 
and  the  slavery  question  drove  many  from  this  high  and  quiet 
place,  though  Poverty  howled  about  it  like  a  hungry  wolf.  New 
Garden  Boarding  School  was  opened  ist  of  August,  1837.  Fifty 
students  were  in  attendance  the  first  day — twenty-five  boys  and 
twenty-five  girls — second  in  the  United  States  in  regard  to  co- 
education, Oberlin  College  being  first  in  that  respect. 


86  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Dougan  and  Asenath  Clark,  two  well-known  and  accom- 
plished Friends,  were  the  first  superintendents.  The  first  teachers 
were  Jonathan  L.  Slocum.  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  governor  of  the 
boys'  school;  Catherine  Cornell,  governess  of  the  girls'  school; 
Harriet  Peck  and  Nathan  B.  Hill. 

The  various  buildings  of  GuOford  College  are  Founders'  Hall, 
Khig  Hall,  named  for  Francis  T.  King;  Archdale,  for  Governor 
John  Archdale,  our  Colonial  Quaker  Governor;  the  Y.  yi.  C.  A. 
Hall,  and  Memorial  Hall,  built  by  Messrs.  B.  N.  and  J.  B.  Duke, 
in  memory  of  their  sister,  Mary  Elizabeth  Lyon. 

For  a  decade  before  the  Civil  War  the  school  was  harrassed 
by  financial  matters.  In  i860  the  sale  of  the  property  was  pro- 
posed. Friends,  North  and  South,  rallied  to  its  support.  New 
Garden  Boarding  School  was  the  only  school  of  its  grade  in  this 
State  to  withstand  the  Civil  War  without  the  loss  of  a  day,  con- 
tinued without  interruption  on  a  gold  basis.  Isham  Cox  was  a 
great  friend  of  the  school,  helping  to  reHeve  it  of  debt.  Jonathan 
E.  Cox,  for  many  years,  was  interested  in  disbursing  the  debt. 

JONATHAN  E.  COX. 

Born  in  the  County  of  historic  Panquotank,  inheriting  the 
equanimity  and  spiritual  life  of  a  Quaker  ancestry,  Jonathan  E. 
Cox  was  born  twenty-first  of  January,  1818,  the  son  of  a 
widowed  mother.  While  a  boy  on  the  farm  he  was  an  industrious 
worker,  and  accumulated  with  his  own  hands  a  comfortable  living. 
He  had  great  strength  and  endurance,  his  physical  manhood  he 
regarded  as  holy  and  he  was  a  man  in  the  happy  union  of  constitu- 
tional harmony.  When  he  was  forty-one  years  of  age  he  was 
elected  superintendent  of  New  Garden  Boarding  School  and  re- 
moved with  his  wife  and  four  children  to  Guilford  County  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  his  children.  Seeing  the  oncoming  cloud 
of  war,  he  hoped  to  remove  to  the  Western  States.  But  in  two 
years  the  Civil  War  broke  upon  the  South,  the  darkest  day  for 
the  Quakers  of  North  Carolina.     Jonathan  Cox  was  determined 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  «7 

to  emigrate  with  his  family  whin  nu-ii  Hkc  Francis  T.  King  said 
to  him  that  in  view  of  the  $18,000  deht  on  the  school  and  the  war, 
the  institution  wouUl  have  to  he'' sold,  uidess  Jonathan  Cox  would 
take  the  school  upon  his  own  responsibility.  A  hasty  council  was 
held.  Xereus  Mendenhall,  Isham  Cox  and  Jonathan  Harris  were 
found  willing  to  stand  I)y  the  school,  and  Jonathan  Cox  assumed 
the  whole  resixMisihility  of  maintaining  the  institution. 

Jonathan  E.  Cox  did  what  no  other  man  in  North  Carolina 
could  do — he  preserved  a  high-grade  school  during  the  Civil  War 
without  the  loss  of  a  day.  This  was  due  no  less  to  his  business 
ability  than  to  his  tact  and  smooth  temper.  With  his  means  he 
helped  many  a  youth  in  this  State  to  an  education.  He  gave  away 
his  fortune  in  the  support  of  the  school  where  for  fourteen  years 
he  was  super'ntendent.  For  this  cause  he  gave  away  the  best  of 
his  life. 

In  1888  the  school  was  chartered  as  Guilford  College.  Three 
courses  of  study  are  given  :  Classical,  Scientific  and  Latin-Scien- 
tific. The  bachelor's  degree  in  Arts  and  in  Science  is  conferrecf 
after  a  course  of  four  years.  Guilford  College  was  the  first  and 
only  school  in  the  State  for  many  years  ofTcring  women  the  advan- 
tage of  Greek  culture  and  higher  mathematics. 

Among  the  best  friends  of  the  institution  have  been  the  Men- 
denhall family,  the  Cox  family,  Jesse  M.  Bundy,  Dr.  Joseph 
Moore.  Francis  T.  King,  Dr.  J.  C.  Thomas,  Jeremiah  Hubbard 
and  many  others. 

Representative  students  of  this  school  arc:  Dr.  A.  Marshall 
KUiott  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Dr.  Nereus  Mendenhall.  Dr. 
Dougan  Clark  of  Indiana,  Judge  Blair  of  California,  Mr.  B.  G. 
Worth.  Captain  James  X.  Williamson,  Mr.  L.  Banks  Holt,  ex- 
1  ieutenant-Governor  Reynolds  and  others. 

LEWIS  I,VXDO.\    IIOUUS. 

The  first  president  of  New  Garden  Boarding  School  after 
becoming  Guilford  College,  in   1888,  was  Lewis  Lyndon  Hobbs. 


88  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

He  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  the  youngest  son  of  Lewis  anrl 
Phoebe  Hobbs.  He  was  prepared  for  college  at  New  Garden.  In 
1872  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  at  Haverford  College,  Penn- 
sylvania. At  Haverford  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  in 
Arts,  and  later,  Master  in  Arts.  In  1876  he  returned  to  New  Gar- 
den Boarding  School  as  Professor  of  Greek  and  Mathematics.  In 
1885  Dr.  Joseph  Moore,  of  Indiana,  became  president  of  the  school, 
and  Prof.  Hobbs  taug-ht  Latin  and  Greek. 

Not  only  has  President  Hobbs  been  president  of  Guilford 
College  since  the  trustees  secured  the  charter  raising  the  standard 
for  higher  education  m  the  State,  but  he  has  also  been  clerk  of  the 
North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends.  Clerk  of  this  body 
corresponds  to  the  office  of  Speaker  of  the  Senate  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. President  Hobbs  is  most  thoroughly  conversant  with  his^ 
church,  its  needs  and  its  members.  His  work  on  educational  mat- 
ters, however,  has  been  felt  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Yearly  Meet- 
ing. After  the  death  of  Dr.  Nereus  Mendenhall  he  filled  the 
vacancy  caused  thereby  in  the  County  Board  of  Education ;  he 
also  was  for  four  years  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Examiners. 
President  Hobbs  is  a  young  man,  quiet,  unassuming,  but  a  close 
thinker  and  an  unceasing,  effective  worker  for  education,  standing 
among  the  foremost  in  North  Carolina  in  the  warfare  for  culture, 
education,  strength  and  beauty  of  character. 

GREENSBORO  FEMALE  COLLEGE. 

(See  "History  of  Church  and  Private  Schools"  by  Prof.  Raper  of  the 
University  of  North  CaroUna,  pages  202-210.) 

The  year  1837  marks  an  epoch  in  education  in  Guilford 
County.  Not  only  was  New  Garden  Boarding  School  opened 
for  students,  but  also  steps  were  taken  for  the  erection  of  Greens- 
boro Female  College.  The  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  sent  a  petition  ( See  Hist,  of  Education  in  N.  C.  by  C.  L. 
Smith,  p  120)  to  the  Virginia  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  asking  that  a  college,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
denomination,  be  established  at  Greensboro.    This  year  the  North 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  S9 

Carolina  Conference  began  its  separate  existence.  Greensboro 
Female  College  is  of  the  same  ajje  as  the  Conference.  In  1838 
the  North  Carolina  Conference  secured  a  charter  for  the  institu- 
tion from  the  State  Legislature,  so  this  school  has  the  honor  of 
being  the  first  chartered  college  for  women  in  North  Carolina, 
ud  with  the  exception  of  the  Wesleyan  Female  College  at  Macon, 
'  .oori^ia,  the  first  sou'h  of  the  Potomac. 

The  Church  bought  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land  in 
•h;-  western  limits  of  Greensboro,  and  in  ihc  centre  of  a  beautiful 
ark  on  West  Market  Street  the  school  was  erected.  The  intelli- 
gence and  social  refinement  of  the  people  of  Greensboro  determined 
the  location.  In  April,  1846,  the  College  was  opened,  with  Rev. 
Solomon  Lea  as  its  president.  His  successors  have  been:  Rev. 
William  Albert  Micajah  Shipp,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  F.  Deems,  Rev. 
1<.  M.  Jones.  Dr.  B.  F.  Dixon.  Dr.  B.  L.  Reid,  Dr.  Dred  Peacock, 
Mrs.  Lucy  Roberson. 

.\mong  the  best  friends  of  the  institution  have  been  the  great 

nd  good  Dr.  C.  F.  Deems,  J.  S.  Carr,  T.  U.  Jones,  J.  A.  Odell, 

'r.  Sidell,  Mrs.  Susan  Mendenhall  and  Mrs.  Ann  Rumpass.    The 

'umnae  from  1S48  to  1863  numbered  191  ;  from  1863  to  1873.  51  : 

irom  1873  to  1897,  428.    These  graduates  are  to  be  found  all  over 

the  South,  many  in  the  North  and  West. 

At  commencement,  1902,  Mrs.  Lucy  H.  Roberson,  having 
been  unanimously  chosen  by  the  trustees  of  the  College,  was 
inaugurated  as  president  to  succeed  Dr.  Dred  Peacock.  The 
alumna?  and  friends  of  the  institution  hailed  with  enthusiasm 
President  Roberson's  inauguration.  Woman  as  president  of  a 
college  in  North  Carolina  is  a  new  departure,  opening  a  wider 
field  and  new  incentive  to  woman's  work  in  behalf  of  education. 
The  library  of  this  College  is  considered  the  best  collection 
of  books  and  papers  on  North  Carolina  history. 

EDC.EWORTII  SEMINARY. 

In  1S40  Edgeworth  Fe.m.\le  Semkv.xrv  was  established  by 
Governor  Morchead.    On  a  centrallv  located  site  he  erected  a  four- 


90  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

story  brick  building.  Miss  Ann  Hodge  was  chosen  principal. 
Among  the  teachers  were  Misses  Emily  Hubbard  and  Eliza  Rose, 
Misses  Nash  and  Kollock,  Rev.  Mr.  John  A.  Gretter.  Professors 
Breite  and  Brandt  were  instructors  in  music. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  D.  P.  Wier  succeeded  Miss  Hodge.  After  them 
came  Rev.  Gilbert  Morgan  and  wife,  who  introduced  the  collegiate 
plan  with  four  classes  and  preparatory  department  to  train  young 
girls  to  enter  the  lowest  classes.  The  expenses  for  board  and 
tuition  were  $150:  wax-works,  $20;  shell-work,  $20;  silk  and 
worsted  work,  $10.  In  the  first  collegiate  year  were  taught  Arith- 
metic, English,  Latin,  and  Greek  Grammars ; .  Spelling,  analysis 
and  dictionary;  Geography,  History  of  United  States,  Book  of 
Commerce,  Mythology,  Jewish  Antiquities,  Watts  on  the  Mead. 
French,  Latin  or  Greek  Ivanguages,  with  one  ornamental  branch,, 
and  lectures  on  Self  Knowledge  and  Self  Culture.  Some  of  the 
women  of  the  best  intellectual  culture  of  the  State  have  matricu- 
lated at  Edgeworth,  who  in  their  old  age  were  women  of  marked 
scholarship.  They  enjoyed  mathematics  and  even  worked  prob- 
lems in  Calculus  for  pleasure.  A  gold  medal  for  especial  excel- 
lence through  a  four  years'  course.at  Edgeworth  Seminary  is  pre- 
served at  the  State  Normal  College,  a  relic  of  the  thorough  edu- 
cation of  young  women  in  Guilford  County  before  the  days  of 
railroads. 

Li  1850  Prof.  Richard  Sterling  succeeded  Mr.  ^lorgan  at 
Edgeworth  Seminary.  The  school  was  closed  in  1862  by  reason 
of  the  War.  In  1868  Rev.  J.  M.  AL  Caldwell,  grandson  of  Dr. 
David  Caldwell,  conducted  Edgeworth  Seminary  until  1871,  when 
Edgeworth  died  and  passed  into  history. 

NORMAL  SCHOOL  AT  HIGH   POINT. 

In  1880  Major  William  Bingham  Lynch  founded  an  excellent 
School  at  High  Point.  A  brick  house  was  provided,  100  feet  long- 
by  47  feet  wide,  four  stories,  capable  of  accommodating  125  board- 
ing pupils.     It  was  destroyed  by  the  War. 

Note:     For  much  of  the  above  information  see  Educational  Report  for  North  Caro- 
ina,  by  C.  H.  Mebane,  for  189ti-'97-'98. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  91 

In  1880  Major  William  niiiKliani  Lynch  founded  an  excellent 
military  school  at  High  Point,  but  it  scx>n  closed. 

Tim  Co%fMON  ScHOOi  System  of  North  Carolina  went  into 
operation  in  1840  with  the  administration  of  Governor  John  M. 
Morehead.  who  was  much  interested  in  educational  development. 
This  was  the  era  of  internal  improvements.  Dr.  Nereus  Menden- 
hall.  a  Guilford  man.  was  also  one  of  the  architects  of  our  public 
schcKil  system.  lUit  Dr.  C.  H.  Wiley  was  the  main  spirit  and 
became  the  first  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  North 
Carolina. 

Dk.  Wii.kv  wa-^  born  in  the  neitjhborhood  of  old  Alamance 
Church.  The  Rankin  and  Wharton  families  of  Guilford  County 
arc  his  relatives.  Dr.  Calvin  H.  Wiley  was  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter, statesman  and  educator.  The  present  system  of  public  educa- 
tion in  this  State  was  organized  by  his  efforts.  Before  the  days 
of  railroads  he  visited  every  county  in  the  State  from  sea  to 
mountains  in  the  mterest  of  schools.  The  Fir.st  Annual  Report 
of  the  General  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools  of  North 
Carolina,  by  Calvin  Henderson  Wiley  (the  year  1854,  page  8), 
states  these  facts :  The  Common  School  System  went  into  opera- 
tion in  1840.  The  Literary  iJoard  was  made  the  chief  executive 
head  until  1854,  from  which  Hoard  not  a  single  report  or  an 
official  statistic  appeared. 

The  whole  income  of  the  public  schools  of  the  United  States, 
in  1850,  aside  from  that  raised  by  taxation  or  donations,  was  two 
millions,  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  income  of  the  Pub- 
lic Fund  of  North  Carolina,  aside  from  swamp  lands  and  county 
taxes,  was  equal  to  one-twentieth  of  the  whole.  The  Legislature, 
by  granting  of  lotteries  and  corporate  privileges,  was.  the  only 
substantial  aid  to  the  cause  of  general  instruction.  Judge  A.  D. 
Murphy,  in  18 19,  made  report  for  education,  but  it  passed  soon 
from  public  mind. 

Dr.  Wiley  says:  "I  felt,  too,— not  .t  pleasant  reflection  to  a  sensitive 
mind — that  while  I  was  spending  freely  in  books,  in  postage,  in  travels  and 


92  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

neglecting  more  profitable  sources  of  revenue,  and  not  saving  much  of  my 
salary,  some  were  thinking  I  was  growing  rich  on  the  public  money,  and 
robbing  the  schools  which  had  lost  many  thousands  for  the  want  of  a  more 
efficient  organizer,  and  which  contributed  to  my  salary  about  50  cents  each, 
or  in  the  ratio  of  three-fourths  of  one  cent  to  the  child,  while  I  was  trying 
to  save  twenty  times  that  amount  to  each  on  the  single  small  item  of  books 
alone." 

'■'Such  was  the  prospect  on  one  side,  on  the  other  were  tempting 
pecuniary  inducements  to  resign.  Very  strong  financial  considerations  had 
to  be  sacrificed  by  my  continuance  in  office.  I  felt  that  to  resign  would  at 
once  create  confusion  and  a  want  of  confidence  in  the  system,  and  that  the 
eyes  of  many  were  turned  to  me  in  hope  while  those  who  elevated  rne  to 
office  had  reason  to  expect  my  best  exertions  to  the  last  and  under  all  temp- 
tation." 

The  popular  will  is  represented  in  the  District  Committees 
selected  by  the  people ;  these  Committees  chose  the  teachers,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  they  are  limited  in  their  choice.  A  County  Com- 
mittee of  Examination  is  appointed  to  pass  on  the  merits  of  all 
teachers,  and  only  those  having  the  certificates  of  the  committee 
are  allowed  to  draw  public  monies.  A  tolerably  wide  margin  is 
allowed  this  Committee  to  discriminate  as  to  the  merits  of  teachers 
so  as  to  suit  all  classes.  From  this  method  good  results  are  ex- 
pected. The  certificate  shows  on  its  face  whether  the  holder  takes 
the  lowest  or  the  highest  or  an  intermediate  place. 

(By  R.  D.  W.  Connor,  Superintendent  Oxford  Graded  Schools.) 

"The  work  of  Calvin  H.  Wiley  was  essentially  that  of  an  originator 
and  organizer.  Beginning  with  practically  nothing  except  opposition  as  a 
foundation,  he  built  up  by  his  own  power,  often  unassisted,  a  flourishing 
system  of  efficient  schools.  Although  the  strain  of  the  terrible  days  follow- 
ing the  war  broke  down  the  system  he  had  founded,  so  strongly  had  he  laid 
the  foundation,  so  well  had  he  builded,  so  deeply  had  he  instilled  into  the 
minds  of  the  people  the  common  school  idea,  that  it  proved  but  a  temporary 
suspension.  With  the  rescue  of  the  State  from  the  hordes  which  were 
sucking  her  life-blood,  came  the  opportunity  to  redevelop  her  resources. 
Far-sighted  statesmen  and  leaders  clearly  foresaw  that  the  first  essential 
for  development  was  universal  education.  Upon  the  apparent  ruins  of 
Wiley's  system,  they  founded  our  present  growing,  influential  public  school 
system,  with  many  of  the  improvements  which  Wiley  himself  would  have 
adopted  had  he  held  the  helm." 


•KKSIM'.NT   I..    I,.    Ilor.liS. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  »:^ 

"When  Dr.  Wiley  took  charge  of  the  educational  interests  of  the 
Stnte  he  clearly  perceived  two  important  things,  heretofore  passed  hy  with- 
•r  notice:  first,  that  before  a  system  of  schools  coiild  he  successfully 
tiblished  the  adult  population  must  he  educated  to  believe  in  public  educa- 
tion and  to  act  upon  that  belief;  second,  that  he  must  educate,  train  and 
equip  a  full  supply  of  efficient  teachers.  These  two  things  done,  then  it 
would  be  time  to  consider  the  details  of  the  system.  He  bent  all  his  energies 
toward  a''Coinp'ishing  these  ends." 

"He  resorted  to  every  conceivable  method  of  reaching  the  great  mass 

of  the  people.     Personal   visits,  newspapers,  circulars,  private  and   public 

'  rtcrs,  ringmg  and  eloquent  speeches — all  were  brought  to  his  use  in  edu- 

ing  the  people.    He  succeeded  beyond  his  fondest  hopes.    Nothing  better 

phasires  the  success  of  his  labors  than  the  fact  that  with  every  nerve 

-.lined  to  meet  the  demands  of  war.  the  people  were  willing  to  strain  a 

•lie  further  in  order  to  continue  the  operation  of  their  schools." 

"In  the  training  of  a  sufficient  force  of  teachers  Dr.  Wiley  adopted  as 
his  motto.  "Scatter  judiciously  over  the  State  good  copies  of  any  good  work 
■1  education  and  it  will  create  a  revolution.'    He  began  his  work  with  less 
n  a  thousand  old-field  teachers,  whose  ideas  of  teaching  were  that  the 
■cher  must  be  merely  a  recitation-hearer  and  a  thrasher  of  boys.    Bcs'des 
•ing  this  force  to  be  used  in  the  work  he  was  compelled  to  furnish  a 
pply  of  two  thousand  new  ones.     His  plan  for  doing  this  cannot  be  ex- 
plained here.    It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  after  five  years  of  labor  he  supplied 
to  the  State  more  than  three  thousand  well-equipped,  trained,  enthusiastic 
instructors.    What  a  powerful  influence  this  force  had  on  the  development 
of  the  State  it  is  impossible  to  estimate,  no  little  part  of  that  quality  which 
made  our   State  'First  at   Pethel ;   last  at   Appomalto.x,'  was  due  to  this 
trained  army  of  devoted  worker.s.     When  wc  think  of  the  work  done  by 
Calvin  H.  Wiley  and  his  splendid  school  system,  it  does  not  seem  strange 
that  North  Carolina  rallied  so  soon  after  a  destructive  war  in  which  she 
had  spent  her  life-blood   freely,  and  has  had   such  marvelous  success  in 
building  up  her  resources.    Back  of  all  her  wonderful  development  in  other 
matters  as  well  as  in  school  affairs,  lies  the  solid  foundation  of  Dr.  Wiley's 
;J<8  schools  and  his  trained  force  of  teachers." 

"Our  people  are  just  beginning  to  awaken  to  a  knowledge  of  Dr. 
Wiley's  gre.Ttncss  and  of  his  wonderful  work.  Our  educators  have  long 
been  working  under  his  influence  without  knowing  it.  When  they  fully 
realize  what  his  labors  have  meant  in  the  past  to  their  work,  his  influence 
will  spread  as  it  ought  to  do  and  continue  to  grow  until  it  pervades  the 
rank  and  file  of  all  who  arc  interested  actively  in  our  material,  intellectual 
and  moral  welfare." 


94  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

•'In  this  great  educational  campaign  now  arousing  our  people  to  a  full 
sense  of  their  educational  duties  and  responsibilities,  it  would  be  a  fitting 
time  for  the  teachers  to  whom  it  properly  .falls  to  start  a  movement  for  the 
erection  of  a  monument  to  Dr.  Wiley  as  a  testimonial  of  their  recognition 
and  appreciation  of  his  great  efforts  and  results.  A  resolution  looking  to 
this  end  will  probably  be  introduced  in  the  meeting  of  the  Teachers'  Assem- 
bly and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  will  receive  the  earnest  and  active  support 
of  that  body — such  a  movement  would  do  much  for  the  cause  of  education 
by  showing  to  the  people  that  teachers  honor  their  educational  heroes  and 
demand  the  same  from  others.  No  North  Carolinian  better  deserves  such 
honor  than  Calvin  H.  Wiley,  for  no  man  has  better  served  his  State." 

In  1853,  Guilford  County  had  seventy-two  Districts;  five 
thousand,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-nine  children  reported;  three 
thousand,  five  hundred  and  forty-five  children  taught;  average 
time,  four  and  one-half  months;  average  salary,  for  men,  $17.00, 
for  women,  $14.00.  The  number  of  teachers  licensed  was  fifty- 
seven  males  and  nineteen  females. 

Guilford  County  has  at  present  about  ninety  public  schools 
for  white  children  and  thirty  for  colored.  The  salary  of  teachers 
and  the  length  of  the  school  years  is  about  the  same  as  it  wa^  in 

1854. 

In  May,  1874,  Greensboro  voted  a  special  tax  for  the  support 
of  its  public  schools.  So  much  in  sympathy  with  the  movement 
were  the  people  that  only  eight  votes  were  cast  against  the  tax. 

The  first  graded  school  in  the  state  was  established  in  Greens- 
boro in  1875.  Mr.  J-  R-  Wharton  was  the  first  superintendent  until 
elected  County  Supervisor  of  Schools.  Prof.  J.  A.  Grimsley 
served  the  graded  schools  as  superintendent  for  ten  years.  His 
successor  is  Mr.  Edgar  D.  Broadhurst.  The  number  of  children 
enrolled  in  the  three  schools  for  whites  under  his  supervision  ex- 
ceeds the  number  of  children  reported  in  Guilford  County  in  1854. 

Guilford  County  is  not  only  the  first  in  the  State  to  establish 
graded  schools  in  the  larger  towns  but  also  the  first  to  establish 
rural  graded  schools.     In  the  neighborhood  of  New  Garden  in 


AORTIl  CAROUX.l.  »•> 

icpi  a  tax  was  voted  for  the  New  Garden  ^^raded  schools.  At 
SunimerfieUl  and  Urown's  Summit  a  similar  plan  is  in  projrrcss. 
In  April,  i<>02.  a  meetin?;  held  in  the  interest  of  education  at 
Greenshoro  donated  $8,050.  iti  addition  to  the  tax  money,  for  rural 
puhlic  schools. 

The  Board  of  .Mdermen  and  the  Chairman  of  the  School 
Committee  of  Greensboro  were  interested  in  jjettint;  a  more  suit- 
able school  building  and  in  1887  the  handsome  building  on  Lind- 
say Street  was  comi)leted.  In  May.  1891,  the  corporate  limits  of 
Greensboro  were  extended,  and  in  that  year  graded  schools  were 
provided  for  both  white  and  colored  children.  In  May,  1893, 
Ashboro  Street  School  was  built. 

The  graded  schools  enrolled  during  the  first  year.  1875.  one 
hundred  students.  In  i8t)7  there  were  enrolled  i.oc)6  white  chil- 
dren and  452  colored.  Ninety-five  per  cent,  of  white  children 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  sixteen  are  in  school. 

The  High  I'oint  graded  school  was  established  the  first  Mon- 
day in  May.  1897.  when  the  citizens  of  High  Point  voted  $10,000 
for  the  erection  of  buildings  and  equipments.  It  opened  the  20th 
of  September.  i8()7.  The  following  is  a  brief  history  of  its 
growth:  Its  enrollment  the  first  day  was  386,  which  increased 
during  the  year  to  476.  It  began  the  second  year  with  479 
I)upils  and  ended  with  562 ;  the  third  year,  with  568  and  ended 
with  5f)8;  the  fourth  year,  with  559  and  ended  with  662;  the  fifth 
year  with  670.  and  will  end  with  about  725.  The  increase  the  first 
year  was  c)o  pupils  :  the  second,  83  ;  the  third.  30;  the  fourth,  103 ; 
the  fifth.  55.  and  a  real  increase  for  the  four  years  of  339. 

O.VK   RIDC.E  INSTITLTK. 

In  185 1.  Jesse  Benbow.  .-Mien  Lowery,  Dr.  John  Saunders, 
Jas.  B.  Clark.  Thomas  J.  Benbow  and  Samuel  Donnell.  of  Oak 
Ridge;  .Archibald  Bevil.  of  Hillsdale;  Wyat  Bowman,  of  High 
Point,  feeling  the  need  for  a  preparatory  school  for  young  men, 
founded  Oak  Ridge  Institute.     P>y  a  majority  of  one,  the  present 


96  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

beautiful  location  was  selected.  From  this  knoll,  with  its  majestic 
oaks,  the  peaks  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  may  be  seen.  From 
this  knoll  as  a  watershed  the  Haw  River  and  the  Deep  River  rise 
and,  winding  each  its  separate  way,  they  unite  in  loving  embrace 
and  flow  to  the  sea  as  our  noble  Cape  Fear  River.  This  is  one 
channel  by  which  the  heart  of  Piedmont  Carolina  reaches  the  East. 
The  natural  beauty  of  Oak  Ridge  is  fine,  probably  the  most  pleas- 
ing in  the  County  of  Guilford. 

Dr.  Saunders  was  the  first  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees ; 
Dr.  Charles  F.  Deems  was  chairman  ex-officio,  then  president  of 
the  Greensboro  Female  College,  a  man  who  did  much  for  edu- 
cation in  North  Carolina,  and  became  pastor  of  the  Church  of 
Strangers  of  New  York  City. 

Oak  Ridge  Institute  first  opened  its  doors  to  students  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1852,  with  Prof.  John  M.  Davis  as  principal.  Fifty  students 
greeted  him.  Among  them  were  INlr.  Rufus  Benbow,  of  Oak 
Ridge,  and  Dr.  Morris,  of  Forsyth  County.  Although  students 
came  from  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  South  Carolina.  Mississippi, 
Louisiana  and  Texas,  the  school  was  not  a  financial  success.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  the  students  numbere(^  about  one 
hundred.  Hon.  John  A.  Gilmer,  Sr.,  addressed  the  people  of  Oak 
Ridge  on  the  coming  storm  of  war.  All  but  three  students  volun- 
teered. 

Tn  1866  Prof.  O.  C.  Hamilton,  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College, 
was  chosen  principal.  He  found  the  building  burned,  probably 
by  an  incendiary,  before  reaching  his  charge.  Obstacles  did  not 
daunt  the  courage  of  Oak  Ridge.  The  new  trustees  added  to  the 
old  board  were  Messrs.  W.  O.  Donnell,  J.  F.  Hoh,  C.  R.  Benbow, 
Charles  Case,  A.  J.  Rolling,  Thomas  Graham,  Charles  Wilson, 
J.  S.  Brown,  John  King,  R.  A.  Blaylock  and  Thos.  J.  Benbow. 
They  erected  a  new  building. 

In  1869  Prof.  Pendleton  King,  a  graduate  of  Haverford  Col- 
lege, librarian  of  the  State  Department  at  Washington  City, 
was  principal  of  Oak  Ridge.    After  him  the  school  declined  until 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  97 

1875,  when  Prof.  J.  A.  Holt  brought  energy  to  it  and  the  influence 
of  Mark  Hopkins,  his  teacher  and  friend.  In  1879  Prof.  M.  H. 
Holt  became  junior  principal.  As  the  school  grew  year  by  year, 
new  and  more  spacious  buildings  were  erected,  wood  giving  place 
to  brick.  In  1891  a  large,  three-story  building,  containing  a 
V.  M.  C.  A.  hall,  library,  gymnasium  and  class  rooms,  was  built 
and  christened  "Holt  Hall." 

For  twenty  years  this  institution,  under  the  present  manage- 
ment, has  been  giving  young  men  thorough  commercial  training. 
It  is  this  training  which  has  made  a  place  for  Oak  Ridge  Institu- 
tion. This  influence  is  felt  in  every  trade  centre  in  this  State. 
Her  graduates  are  everywhere. 

To  Professor  J.  Allen  Holt  and  his  brother,  Prof.  Martin  H. 
Holt,  is  due  the  credit  of  contributing  to  North  Carolina  the 
Rugby  of  the  State.  This  is  a  business  age ;  everything  seems  to 
turn  on  the  pivot  of  the  dollar,  even  religion,  etiquette,  good  prin- 
ciples. Death  and  the  Grave  have  to  do  with  money,  the  one  great 
basis.  Therefore  a  business  education,  to  know  not  only  the 
classics  but  also  to  understand  people  in  business  and  how  to 
clinch  a  bargain  is  of  great  importance.  With  a  keen  eye  Oak 
Ridge  has  seen  the  point  of  contact  between  the  scholar  and  the 
world.  Therefore  they  seek  to  unite  in  their  students  what  is  best 
in  the  old  idea  of  culture  together  with  business  ability. 

The  Holts  come  of  a  race  remarkable  for  business  capacity. 
They  were  born  in  Alamance  County,  near  the  battleground  of 
the  Regulators.  In  Colonial  days  Michael  Holt,  their  forefather, 
lived  here,  a  fanner,  innkeeper,  large  land-owner,  man  of  wealth 
and  of  aflfairs  in  the  State.  His  descendants  have  made  of  Ala- 
mance County  and  the  State  a  great  manufacturing  centre.  "Isaac 
Holt,  the  son  of  Michael  Holt,  married  Lettie  Scott.  Their  son, 
Thomas  Scott  Holt,  married  Sallie  Foust.  She  was  the  niece  of 
George  Foust,  who  married  Maria  Holt,  sister  of  Isaac  Holt. 
John  Foust  Holt,  of  Alamance  County,  married  Louise  Williams, 
of  Rockingham  County."    This  is  the  direct  line  of  descent  of  the 


98  GUILFORD  COUNTY. 

professors  of  Oak  Ridge,  showing  who  they  are  and  at  the  same 
time  giving  an  index  of  the  success  of  the  school. 

Prof.  T.  A.  Holt  was  born  in  1852.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Guilford  County. 
His  name  was  prominently  before  the  people  for  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  at  the  last  convention.  He  was 
president  of  the  Teachers'  Assembly  in  1901. 

Prof.  M.  H.  Holt  was  born  in  1855.  When  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1893  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Education.  From  1893  ^o  1897  l^^  wgs  a  trustee  of  the  State 
University.  He  has  been  for  some  time  director  of  the  North 
Carolina  School  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  at  Morganton.  For 
years  he  has  been  on  the  township  board  and  public  school  com- 
mittee. In  1875  and  1878  Professors  J.  A.  and  AI.  H.  Holt  came 
to  Oak  Ridge. 

Fifty  years  ago  Oak  Ridge  Institute  was  founded.  This 
year,  1902,  its  year  of  jubilee  is  celebrated. 

WHITSETT   INSTITUTE. 

Thirt>--eight  years  ago  there  was  established  a  school  which 
became  later,  Whitsett  Institute.  Located  in  Southeast  Guilford, 
on  a  beautiful  plateau  eight  hundred  feet  high,  the  institution  was 
built,  looking  toward  the  southeast  over  a  beautiful  expanse  of 
open  country,  like  a  rolling  savannah.  About  the  buildings  and 
westward  are  great  oaks  of  nature's  own,  a  reinforcement  against 
the  ttmiultuous  world  beyond.  The  landscape  offers  philosophic 
repose  and  sweet  peace.  Nature  has  contributed  her  advantages 
luring  youth  to  health,  to  beauty  and  to  thoughtfulness.  Tw^o  or 
three  miles  away  the  lonesome  whistle  of  the  train  blows  at  Gib- 
sonville,  the  nearest  station.  The  village  of  Whitsett  without  the 
student  is  deserted,  like  an  oasis  without  the  songs  of  birds  or 
merry  antics  of  animals.  Nothing  there  tempts  the  youth  to  waste 
his  time.    To  study  is  the  natural  way  at  Whitsett. 

Toward  the  south  is   Southern   Pines ;   toward   the   west  is 


XORTH  C.IROIJ.\.-l.  W 

Aslifvillo.  The  soil  of  Whitsctt  is  loam,  not  red  clay.  I'lowcrs 
bloom  and  the  t^rass  y:ro\vs  tall. 

Country  life  reduces  the  expenses  of  the  student  away  at 
school.  Courses  for  business,  teaching  or  ct)llege  are  offered  both 
boy  and  girl,  young  men  and  young  women.  In  1900  the  student 
body  numbered  329.  with  room  for  more.  Still  a  beautiful  new 
buiUling  is  being  erected.  80  by  100  feet,  furnishing  every  modern 
convenience  for  school  work,  library,  chapel,  reading  room,  society 
halls,  gymnasimu  and  nnisic  rooms.  At  the  State  Fair,  held  in 
Raleigh,  this  school  was  awarded  two  elegant  diplomas,  one  for 
•'i'.est  General  Display  by  School"  and  another  for  "Ilest  Com- 
mercial Display." 

Rev.  r.rantley  York.  D.  1)..  "the  founder  of  Trinity  College," 
and  Charles  H.  Mebane.  one  of  North  Carolina's  best  Superin- 
tendents of  F'ublic  Instruction,  and  of  Guilford  County  by  birth, 
have  helped  by  years  of  teaching  and  superintending  to  build  uj) 
this  institution. 

William  Thornton  Whitsctt  is  a  native  of  Guilford  County, 
North  Carolina.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county  and  was  prepared  for  college  by  private  tutors.  He  was 
educated  at  North  Carolina  College  and  the  University  of  North 
Carolina.  He  has  been  president  of  Whitsctt  Institute  since  1888, 
is  a  trustee  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina ;  member  of  the 
Southern  Historical  Association,  Washington.  D.  C. ;  secretary  of 
the  North  Carolina  Association  of  Acadamies;  member  of  the 
American  Authors"  Guild.  New  York ;  member  of  the  School 
Directors  of  Guilford  County;  member  of  the  .\merican  Academy 
of  Social  and  Political  Science.  Philadelphia.  For  three  years 
he  was  secretary  of  the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Assemblv. 

THK    AC.KICII.TLU.M.    .\NI)    .M IX  HAN  ICAI,    COI.IJCC.F,    or    r.KKKXSnORO. 

The  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  for  the  Colored 
Race  was  established  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  North 
Carolina,  ratified  9th  of  March.   i8<)i.     The  financial  support  of 


100  GUILFORD  COUNTY. 

the  school  is  derived  from  the  United  States,  under  an  act  of 
Congress  known  as  the  "Morrill  Act,"  passed  August  20,  1890. 
The  citizens  of  Greensboro  donated  twenty-five  acres  of  land  and 
eight  thousand  dollars  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  buildings. 
In  1893  the  General  Assembly  appropriated  ten  thousand  dollars. 
Substantial  buildings  have  been  erected.  They  have  about  two 
hundred  students.  Its  president  is  James  B.  Dudley,  A.  M.  of 
Shaw  University,  A.  M.  of  Livingston  College,  teacher  in  public 
schools  1 876- 1 880,  principal  of  Peabody  graded  school  1880- 1896. 
He  is  a  blessing  to  his  race. 

Fully  80  per  cent,  of  the  colored  people  in  this  State  live  in 
the  country  and  subsist  on  agriculture.  The  future  of  the  colored 
race  in  the  South  depends  upon  the  ownership  of  farm  lands  and 
their  intelligent  and  skillful  treatment  by  colored  farmers.  This 
field  is  free  from  competition  and  race  feeling.  Owners  of  large 
tracts  of  land  now  yielding  nothing  are  only  too  glad  to  rent  them 
to  the  skilled  farmers  who  graduate  from  an  agricultural  college, 
and  also  provide  him  with  stock  and  implements  of  husbandry. 
The  young  man  who  leaves  this  college  with  honor,  a  good  charac- 
ter and  a  well-trained  mind,  who  is  familiar  with  science  and  art 
relating  to  his  calling  in  agriculture,  mechanics  or  any  of  the 
trades,  will  not  be  compelled  to  canvass  the  country  seeking  em- 
ployment. Capital  will  be  looking  for  him  to  place  him  in  charge 
of  land  and  stocks,  to  handle  machiner.v  and  direct  unskilled  labor. 
Wherever  skilled  labor  is  found  among  producers,  turning  the 
wheels  of  industry  that  increase  the  wealth  of  the  world,  there  will 
be  found  graduates  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College. 
The  reputation  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
is  extending  over  wider  fields.  Immediately  following  the  infor- 
mation that  the  College  had  received  notice  of  the  awarding  of  a 
silver  medal  on  the  account  of  its  exhibit  at  the  Paris  Exposition, 
comes  information  from  another  remote  section,  showing  the  rec- 
ognition of  this  institution  elsewhere. 

"President  Pulido,  of   San  Chez,   Mira,   Philippine  Islands, 


fr 


C^ 


JdNATIIAN    K.    COX, 


XORTH  C.lROIJN.-i.  101 

writes  that  he  intends  to  have  his  son  enter  the  'famous  college 
of  Greenshoro'  al)out  the  first  of  April.  He  will  make  arrange- 
ments for  his  son  to  remain  here  until  graduation," 

Hknxktt  Coi.i.EC.K  was  opened  in  the  city  of  Greensboro  in 
1873  by  the  Treedmen's  Aid  and  Southern  Education  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  North,  one  of  forty-six  such  in- 
stitutions founded  and  sustained  by  that  church.  About  1876  the 
institution  became  a  boardins:  school  in  a  larp:e  four-story  brick 
buiidincr.  and  chartered  under  the  laws  of  North  Carolina.  It  is 
situated  on  the  outskirts  of  Greensboro.  Its  president  is  Rev.  J.  D. 
Chavis.  a  neg[ro  man  reared  in  Guilford  County.  The  classics  and 
mathematics  are  tau.yfht.     It  is  co-educational. 

Near  Bennett  Collcj^e  is  the  Kent  iNnrsTuiAi.  Homk  for 
CouoRED  Girls,  under  the  support  of  the  Woman's  Missionary 
Society  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  North,  Troy,  N.  Y..  Conference. 
This  Home  was  dedicated  May  2,  1887.  Industrial  traininj:;:  for 
sixteen  girls  is  yearly  given.  The  superintendent  is  a  white  woman 
from  the  North,  Miss  Carrie  L.  Crowell.  They  have  also  a 
teacher  of  sewing  and  a  primary  teacher.  The  building  erected 
for  this  home  is  of  brick,  neat  and  convenient.  A  new  and  larger 
house  will  be  erected  soon.  Servants  from  this  home  are  well 
recommended. 

Till-:  STATI-    NORMAL  AND  1N'DUSTRL\L  COLLEGE. 

When  the  South  began  to  recuperate  after  the  paralysis  of 
Civil  War  and  of  slavery  and  her  people  had  a  little  easy  leisure  in 
which  to  think,  they  gave  their  attention  to  education.  Thought- 
fully and  with  great  earnestness  a  few  men  in  the  State  studied 
the  great  plan  of  education,  as  developed  in  other  lands.  They 
soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  teachers  should  understand  their 
I)rofession  before  being  allowed  to  practice,  that  the  minds  of  chil- 
dren were  just  as  sacred  as  their  bodies.  The  quack  physician  had 
long  ago  been  relegated  to  the  dark  corners. 

Institutes  were  held  for  the  training  of  teachers  in  the  court- 
houses in  manv  counties  in  the  State.    These  institutes  were  usu- 


102  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

ally  in  session  for  two  weeks  in  July  and  August.  During  the 
years  1889  and  1890  the  Board  of  Education  sent  out  two  men 
as  Institute  conductors  to  visit  every  county  in  the  State  and  hold 
in  each  an  institute  lasting  one  week.  The  two  men  sent  by  this 
Board  were  Dr.  Chas.  D.  Mclver  and  Dr.  E.  A.  Alderman.  They 
aroused  a  love  for  learning  and  a  desire  for  reading  and  study 
among  the  teachers.  Page's  "Theory  and  Practice"  and  other 
books  on  pedagogics  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  teachers,  many 
of  whom  had  never  seen  a  book  on  teaching,  though  they  were 
"duty-loving  and  duty-doing  men  and  women." 

To  quote  from  the  report  of  Prof.  J.  Y.  Joyner  to  the  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction  (See  report  1897-98,  p.  964),  he 
says :  "To  one  who,  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  has  been  engaged  in 
this  educational  work,  and  who,  during  each  year,  has  mingled 
much  and  talked  much,  publicly  and  privately,  with  all  classes  of 
our  people  in  the  interest  of  public  education,  there  is  noticeable  a 
very  marked  and  hopeful  change  in  their  attitude  toward  the  public 
schools.  This  change  has  come  about  so  gradually  that  many 
whose  work  has  not  kept  them  in  touch  with  the  educational 
sentiment  of  the  State  are  not  conscious  of  the  extent  of  it." 

Out  of  these  institutes  for  teachers  the  feeling  grew  and  there 
arose  a  demand  for  a  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  for 
the  education  of  young  women,  giving  them  thorough  training  in 
the  science  of  teaching,  and  instead  of  a  few  weeks  of  training  in 
their  profession,  to  give  them  four  years  of  instruction  at  much 
less  than  cost,  at  prices  within  their  reach. 

At  the  Teachers'  Assembly,  which  was  the  congregation  of 
the  Teachers'  Institutes,  the  first  formal  step  was  taken  toward 
the  establishment  of  a  Normal  College.  The  teachers  passed  reso- 
lutions, in  1886,  asking  for  this  institution,  and  they  appointed  a 
committee  to  memorialize  the  General  Assembly. 

Meanwhile,  Dr.  Chas.  D.  Mclver,  the  propelling  spirit  of  the 
movement,  was  studying  the  system  of  the  education  of  women. 
His  determinative  wisdom  and  zeal  fought  the  fight  before  the 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  108 

General  Assembly  for  the  higjher  and  better  education  of  her 
women  by  the  State.  By  his  persistent  energy  and  logic  the 
North  Carolina  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  was  estab- 
lished in  1 89 1.  The  time  was  hastened  throughout  the  whole 
State  by  the  teachers,  the  King's  Daughters,  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union  and  the  Fanner's  Alliance.  Dr.  J.  L.  M. 
Curry  made  a  strong  appeal  for  the  cause.  The  citizens  of 
Greensboro  gave  $30,000  for  its  location.  Mr.  R.  S.  Pullen 
and  Mr.  R.  T.  Gray,  of  Raleigh,  and  others  donated  the  land 
— ten  acres.  During  the  ten  years  of  its  existence  hundreds 
of  young  women  who  could  not  have  gone  elsewhere  have  been 
sent  out  into  this  State  and  everywhere  as  most  efficient  teachers 
and  as  cultured  women  in  every  walk  of  life.  The  course  of 
study  has  been  arranged  for  meeting  the  needs  of  young  women 
in  North  Carolina  and  it  embraces  the  Normal  Department,  the 
Commercial  Department  and  the  Department  of  Domestic  Science. 

At  the  comencement  of  1902  of  the  State  Normal  and  Indus- 
trial College  at  Greensboro,  President  Mclver  presented  the  fol- 
lowing report,  which  embodies  the  history  and  the  wonderfully 
successful  career  of  that  great  school: 

"Ten  years  ago  on  this  hill,  then  a  bleak  and  barren  ten-acre 
lot— the  gift  of  Mr.  R.  S.  Pullen,  Mr.  R.  T.  Gray,  Mr.  E.  P. 
Wharton  and  others,  with  $30,000  voted  unanimously  by  the  far- 
sighted  citizens  of  Greensboro  to  secure  the  location  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  with  an  annual  appropriation  of  $10,000,  voted  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1891  to  aid  in  the  employment  of  a  faculty, 
the  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  began  its  work. 

"In  1886  the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Assembly,  then  in 
session  at  Black  Mountain,  passed  resolutions  asking  for  the 
establishment  of  a  normal  college  and  appointed  a  committee  to 
memorialize  the  General  Assembly.  Each  succeeding  Teachers' 
Assembly  for  five  years  passed  similar  resolutions  and  appointed 
similar  committees  to  present  the  question  to  our  law  makers.  In 
his  biennial  report  to  the  General  Assembly  the  late  Hon.  S.  M. 


104  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Finger,  then  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  urged  the  im- 
portance of  establishing  the  institution.  But  it  was  at  the  session 
of  1889  that  the  question  really  came  before  the  General  Assembly 
for  serious  consideration  for  the  first  time.  A  committee  from 
the  Teachers'  Assembly,  consisting  of  Charles  D.  Mclver,  chair- 
man ;  E.  G.  Harrell,  E.'  P.  Moses,  E.  A.  Alderman,  Geo.  T.  Win- 
ston, D.  Matt.  Thompson  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  McDonald,  presented  in 
person  and  urged  the  adoption  of  a  bill  establishing  a  training 
school  for  teachers,  and  this  bill,  in  spite  of  active  and  intense 
opposition,  passed  the  Senate  by  a  large  majority,  and  failed  in 
the  House  by  only  a  few  votes.  Had  this  bill  become  a  law  the 
institution  would  be  co-educational. 

"Before  the  meeting  of  the  next  General  Assembly  in  Janu- 
ary, 1891,  Governor  F.owle  had  in  his  message  urged  the  establish- 
ment of  the  institution.  In  the  meantime,  the  King's  Daughters 
had  petitioned  the  Legislature  to  establish  an  indusrial  school  for 
girls.  The  North  Carolina  Farmers'  Alliance,  in  1890,  at  its 
annual  meeting  at  Asheville,  had  passed  strong  resolutions  asking 
the  State  to  aid  in  the  higher  education  of  girls  and  women  of 
the  white  race  as  it  was  already  aiding  in  the  education  of  white 
men,  negro  men  and  negro  women.  Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  agent  of 
the  Peabody  Fund,  appeared  before  the  General  Assembly  and 
made  an  earnest  and  powerful  plea  for  the  establishment  of  a 
normal  college,  and  through  him  the  Peabody  Fund  has  always 
given  substantial  aid  to  this  institution. 

"By  1891  the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Assembly  had  decided 
that  it  was  wise  to  eliminate  the  co-educational  feature,  and  in- 
structed its  committee  to  that  effect.  This  committee  suggested 
the  establishment  of  a  normal  college  with  industrial  features, 
whereupon  the  act  establishing  the  State  Normal  and  Industrial 
College  was  passed  and  an  annual  appropriation  made  for  its 
maintenance. 

FACULTY. 

"In  choosing  the  Faculty  of  the  College  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors has  selected  those  who  in  their  judgment  could  best  carry 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  105 

out  its  policies.    Neither  peopraphical.  iu»r  political,  nor  denomina- 
tional influences  have  dtV'ided  their  selection  of  teachers. 

"The  charter  Faculty  of  the  College  numbered  twelve,  besides 
the  assistants.  Of  these  twelve,  ei^ht— Misses  Boddie,  Bryant, 
F.^rt.  Kirkland  and  Mendenhall.  and  Messrs.  Forney,  Brown  and 
Mclver— are  members  of  the  present  faculty.  Three  other  mem- 
bers of  the  present  faculty — Misses  Allen,  Jamison  and  Lee — 
answered  to  the  first  roll-call  of  students  in  1892.  The  college 
now  has  a  faculty  and  executive  corps  numberinj^  thirty-six.  Its 
teachers  have  come  from  all  sections  of  the  country.  Four-fifths 
of  them  are  Southern  people,  most  of  these  having  received  train- 
ing in  both  Southern  and  Northern  colleges,  and  more  than  one- 
half  of  them  have  been  native  North  Carolinians.  It  has  been  a 
young  company  of  aggressive  workers,  representing  in  their  train- 
ing several  State  Universities,  the  leading  normal  colleges  of  the 
country,  and  such  institutions  as  Johns  Hopkins,  Cornell,  Welles- 
ley,  Bryn  Mawr.  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  and  sev- 
eral Furopean  universities.  The  Governor  has  recently  called 
Mr.  James  Y.  Joyner,  IVofessor  of  Knglish  in  the  State  Normal 
and  Industrial  College,  to  the  State  Superintendency. 

STUDKNTS. 

■'For  the  past  nine  years  the  average  number  of  students  in 
the  college  has  been  about  four  hundred  and  twenty-five.  This 
number  will  not  materially  change  until  more  dormitory  room  shall 
have  been  provided.  The  total  matriculation  for  the  past  ten 
years  has  been  about  2,200,  about  450  of  whom  have  been  in  the 
college  this  year.  Of  the  1,750  who  have  left  the  college,  68  have 
died,  leaving  about  1,700.  One  thousand  and  five  hundred  of 
these  have  reported  to  me  during  the  past  two  months,  and  more 
than  (16  2-^  per  cent,  of  them  have  taught  school.  I  have  asked 
each  student  to  give  the  number  of  pupils  taught  by  her.  The 
aggregate  number  reported  is,  in  round  numbers,  130.000.  It  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  some  of  these  children  have  been  taught 


106  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

at  different  times  by  two  or  more  representatives  of  the  college. 
Deducting,  therefore,  30,000  for  duplicates,  this  would  mean  than 
100,000  children  have  been  taught  by  students. 

"As  the  finances  of  the  institution  have  justified  it  the  Board 
of  Directors  has  increased  the  physical  equipment.  Beginning  in 
1892  with  dormitory  capacity  for  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
boarders,  with  only  fifteen  recitation  rooms  in  the  college  building, 
including  the  chapel,  the  president's  office  and  the  physician's 
office;  with  a  teaching  force  of  fifteen,  including  assistants,  and 
with  an  enrollment  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  students,  the 
college  has  steadily  developed  until  at  the  end  of  its  tenth  year  it 
has  dormitory  accommodations  for  three  hundred  boarders, 
twenty-five  recitation  rooms  and  offices  in  the  college  building  and 
fourteen  rooms  in  a  practice  and  observation  school  building,  a 
teaching  force  and  executive  corps  of  thirty-six,  and  an  enroll- 
ment of  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  regular  students,  besides 
about  three  hundred  pupils  in  the  practice  and  observation  school. 
Instead  of  ten  acres  of  land  the  college  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres,  and  instead  of  five  buildings  owned  and  rented 
it  now  uses  eleven  buildings.  Instead  of  looking  upon  a  bleak 
hill  of  clay  and  briars  its  students  enjoy,  to  some  extent,  looking 
upon  growing  trees  and  grass  and  flowers,  and,  by  the  generosity 
of  Mr.  George  Foster  Peabody,  we  have  the  immediate  prospect 
of  a  beautiful  park,  plans  for  which  have  already  been  made. 

"Representatives  of  the  college  are  working  in  twenty-three 
of  the  States  of  the  Union  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  In  nearly 
every  leading  city  from  Greensboro  to  Boston  representatives  of 
the  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College  can  be  found  working  as 
teachers,  students,  stenographers,  bookkeepers  or  trained  nurses. 

"The  State  Normal  Magazine,  a  self-supporting  publication, 
has  been  the  work  of  the  faculty  and  students  of  this  college.  The 
best  educational  journal  ever  published  in  the  South  and  now  one 
of  the  leading  educational  journals  of  the  country,  was  established 
and  managed  by  our  Professor  of  Pedagogy  in  connection  with 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  H)7 

his  work  licre.  Several  texl-bnoks  that  liave  received  ^a-nerous 
recognition  throitfjhout  the  country  have  been  published  by  inem- 
l)crs  of  our  faculty.  The  Audubon  Society  and  the  Association 
of  North  Carolina  Women  for  the  Betterment  of  the  Public  School 
Houses  of  the  State  are  two  State  organizations  which  have 
resulted  from  the  work  of  the  faculty  and  students  of  the  State 
Xormal  ami   Industrial   College. 

'"This  college  has  given  some  prestige  to  North  Carolina's 
name  beyond  the  borders  of  the  State,  and  has  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  interest  influential  people  in  the  educational  development 
of  the  State  which  it  serves.  In  the  ten  years  of  its  existence  it 
has  become  as  strongly  entrenched  in  the  regard  of  the  people  of 
North  Carolina  as  if  it  had  an  hundred  years  of  history  behind 
it.  Ii>  this  short  period  it  has  enrolled  2,500  students,  every  county 
in  the  State  has  been  represented  in  its  matriculates,  and  ninety 
per  cent  .of  its  graduates  have  taught  or  are  now  teaching  in  the 
schools  of  the  State.  About  every  year  witnesses  an  addition  to  the 
buildings  of  this  institution,  made  necessary  by  its  increased  attend- 
ance and  its  growing  usefulness.  Only  about  two  months  ago  the 
cornerstone  was  laid  for  the  Curry  Building,  a  practice  and 
observation  school,  and  a  new  Alumni  Building  is  to  be  erected 
during  the  coming  year. 

15ENEFACT0RS. 

"This  report  would  not  be  complete  without  some  reference  to 
tlif  special  benefactors  of  the  institution. 

"Within  the  past  two  years  Mr.  George  Foster  Peabody,  of 
New  York,  donated  $11,000  to  the  State  Normal  and  Industrial 
College ;  $5,000  of  this  is  to  be  used  for  developing  the  Peabody 
Park,  named  for  the  great  philanthropist,  George  Peabody,  who 
in  1867  gave  to  the  public  schools  of  the  South  $3,000,000. 

"The  Students'  lUiilding  is  a  gift  to  the  college  which  means 
more  than  any  single  donation  of  money.  It  represents  the  affec- 
tion and  loyalty  of  its  daughters  and  those  whom  they  have  been 


108  GUILFCRD  COUNTY, 

able  to  interest  in  their  Alma  Mater.  The  gift  of  $i,ooo  from  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  T.  B.  Bailey,  who  lost  their  only  two  children  while 
students  at  this  college,  was  made  as  a  subscription  to  the  Students' 
Building.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  have  also  established  a  permanent 
scholarship  to  be  known  as  'The  Sarah  and  Evelyn  Bailey  Scholar- 
ship.' 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Buxton  in  1893  established  the  'Jarvis 
Buxton  Loan  Fund'  of  $100  in  memory  of  their  little  son.  Soon 
after  this  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Josephus  Daniels  established  the  'Adelaide 
Worth  Daniels  Loan  Fund'  of  $100  in  memory  of  their  little 
daughter.  These  funds,  while  small,  have  aided  in  the  education 
of  several  students.  In  1896  General  and  Mrs.  Julian  S.  Carr 
established  the  Xida  Carr  Fellowship  Fund,'  the  income  of  which 
is  $200  a  year.  This  has  made  it  possible  for  from  two  to  four 
people  to  remain  in  college  each  year  since  that  time,  who  could 
not  otherwise  have  done  so.  Much  help  along  this  line  has  been 
provided  by  the  two  literary  societies,  by  the  Alumnae  Association, 
and  by  the  Woman's  Education  Club.  Charles  Broadway  Rouss, 
of  New  York,  gave  one  hundred  dollars  to  be  used  as  a  loan  fund 
to  the  daughter  of  a  Confederate  soldier. 

"The  State  wants  this  institution  to  be  good  enough  for  any 
of  its  citizens,  and  the  expenses  low  enough  for  all.  The  purpose 
for  which  the  institution  was  created  is  clearly  stated  in  section  5 
of  the  act  establishing  it.    It  is  as  follows : 

"  'Section  5.  The  objects  of  this  institution  shall  be  (i)  to 
give  to  young  women  such  education  as  shall  fit  them  for  teach- 
ing; (2)  to  give  instruction  to  young  women  in  drawing,  telegra- 
phy, typewriting,  stenography  and  such  other  industrial  arts  as 
may  be  suitable  to  their  sex  and  conducive  to  their  support  and 
usefulness.  Tuition  shall  be  free  to  those  who  signify  their  inten- 
tion to  teach,  upon  such  conditions  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the 
Board  of  Directors.' 

'Tt  is  the  general  purppse  of  the  institution  to  give  such  edu- 
cation as  will  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  average  woman's  work, 


NOKTH  CAROLINA.  109 

whatever  mav  be  her  field  of  labor.  To  that  end  there  are  three 
distinct  departments  in  the  course  of  study :  the  Normal  Depart- 
ment, the  Domestic  Science  Department,  the  Commercial  Depart- 
ment." 

It  is  well  to  close  this  chapter  with  a  few  facts  relatinjjj  to 
the  Southern  Hducation  hoard,  of  which  Dr.  Chas.  D.  Mclver  is 
secretary,  having  the  oversiijht  of  the  work  of  this  Hoard  in 
North  Carolina. 

The  Southern  Education  Hoard  consists  of  twelve  members. 
They  are  Robert  C.  Oj^den.  president ;  George  Foster  PealwDdy, 
treasurer:  Charles  D.  Mclver.  secretary;  E.  A.  Alderman.  W.  H. 
I'.aldwin.  Jr..  Wallace  lUittrick,  J.  L.  M.  Curry.  Charles  W.  Dab- 
ney.  H.  1'.".  Frissell.  H.  U.  Hanna.  W.  H.  Page  and  Albert  Shaw. 
The  Board  was  created  and  organized  last  November  in  accord- 
ance with  the  platform  and  resolutions  adopted  at  the  fourth 
annual  meeting  of  the  Southern  Educational  Conference  at  Win- 
ston-Salem a  year  ago.  April  lyoi.  The  work  undertaken  by  this 
lioard  is  that  of  agitation  and  stimulation  of  all  efforts  toward 
universal  education  in  the  .Southern  States.  It  does  not  make  any 
gifts  to  any  educational  institutions  whatever.  It  has  sufficient 
funds  to  aid  in  a  campaign  for  local  taxation  and  for  the  better- 
ment of  public  school  facilities  in  several  of  the  Southern  States. 

So  far  its  chief  work  has  been  done  in  Virginia.  North  Caro- 
lina and  Louisiana.  It  began  to  arrange  for  continuous  cam- 
paigns in  these  States  in  January.  It  has  also  done  some  work 
in  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  is  planning  to  aid  in  public  educa- 
tional campaigns  in  South  Carolina.  .Alabama  and  Mississippi. 

.Ml  the  campaign  work  of  the  Southern  Education  Board  is 
under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  Southern  members  of  the 
Southern  Education  }^>oard.  The  field  work  is  in  charge  of  three 
district  directors,  I3octors  Alderman,  Frissell  and  Mclver.  Dr. 
Charles  W.  Dabney  is  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Investigation  and 
Publication.  His  chief  assistant  is  Professor  P.  P.  Claxton,  and 
he  is  also  aided  by  Professor  J.  D.  Eggleston  and  an  efficient  corps 


110  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

of  clerks.  Rev.  Edgar  Gardner  Murphy,  of  Montgomery,  Ala., 
is  the  executive  secretary  and  personal  representative  of  President 
Robert  C.  Ogden,  wherever  his  services  may  be  needed,  whether 
in  New  York  or  in  visiting  the  various  offices  in  the  South. 

Dr.  F.  S.  Dickerman  and  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  are 
doing  special  work  for  the  board  as  field  agents,  the  latter  being 
the  special  adviser  in  regard  to  educational  matters  relating  to  the 
colored  race. 

Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry  and  Messrs.  Alderman,  Dabney,  Frissel 
and  Mclver  constitute  the  general  campaign  committee,  and  have 
direction  of  all  the  work  of  the  Southern  Education  Board. 

The  plan  and  work  of  the  Southern  Education  Board  is 
merely  an  extension  of  the  campaign  work  that  has  been  done  for 
many  years  in  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  Southern  States  by  the 
Peabody  Board  under  the  guidance  of  the  General  Agent,  Dr.  J. 
L.  M.  Curry. 

Many  of  these  men  and  those  composing  the  Southern  Edu- 
cation Board  are  Southern  people;  some  of  them  born  here,  and 
some  having  resided  here  for  several  years.  Having  seen  the 
heavy  load  we  are  carrying,  especially  in  maintaining  a  double 
system  of  public  schools  for  two  races,  and  recognizing  the  neces- 
sity for  continuing  this  double  system,  they  would  like  to  aid  us 
in  carrying  that  burden,  exactly  as  the  Peabody  Fund  aided  nearly 
every  town  and  city  in  North  Carolina  to  carry  its  burden  when 
the  latter  were  establishing  their  graded  schools. 

The  General  Education  Board,  with  headquarters  in  New 
York,  is  composed  of  ten  men,  five  of  whom  have  lived  in  the 
South.  Wm.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  chairman ;  George  Foster  Peabody, 
treasurer ;  Wallace  Buttrick,  secretary  and  executive  officer ;  J.  L,. 
M.  Curry,  Frederick  T.  Gates,  Daniel  C.  Gilman,  Morris  K.  Jesup, 
Robert  C.  Ogden,  Walter  H.  Page  and  Albert  Shaw  compose  this 
board.  All  except  Messrs.  Gates,  Gilman  and  Jesup  are  also  mem- 
bers of  the  Southern  Education  Board.  Dr.  Curry  and  Dr.  Gilman 
are  members  of  the  Peabody  Board  and  the  Slater  Board,  and 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  Ill 

Messrs.  Baldwin  and  Georpfe  Foster  Pcabody  arc  members  of  the 
Slater  Board.  The  General  Education  Board  will  make  an  efTort 
to  co-operate  with  the  Peabodv,  the  Slater  Board  and  the  Southern 
Education  Board  so  as  to  aid  in  Southern  education,  and  to  pre- 
vent duplication  of  effort. 

The  underlying  principle  of  the  Association  is  the  recognition  of  the 
fact  that  the  people  of  the  Southern  States  arc  earnestly  engaged  in  the 
promotion  of  public  education,  and  that  in  this  effort  they  should  receive 
generous  aid  ;  and  to  this  end,  and  in  pursuance  of  the  following  named  and 
kindred  objects,  the  Association  will  seek  gifts,  large  and  small,  from  those 
in  sympathy  with  its  plans.    It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Board : 

1.  To  promote  education  within  the  United  States  of  America,  with- 
out distinction  of  race,  sex  or  creed. 

2.  To  develop  the  public  school  system,  especially  in  rural  districts. 

3.  To  develop  the  principle  of  self-help  by  urging  increased  local 
taxation,  local  contributions,  or  by  other  means. 

-t.  To  further  the  establishment  of  training  schools  for  teachers, 
especiilly  those  designed  to  educate  teachers  of  industrial  and  manual 
training. 

5.  To  co-operate  with  other  organizations  interested  in  educational 
work,  and  to  simplify  and  make  effective  the  general  work  of  education, 
avoiding  unnecessary  duplication. 

6.  To  aid  in  the  maintenance  and  improvement  of  educational  insti- 
titutions  already  established. 

7.  To  collect  full  information  and  statistics  in  respect  to  educational 
matters  in  the  districts  covered  by  the  operation  of  the  Board,  which  shall 
be  kept  at  a  general  office. 

8.  To  furnish  the  public  with  information,  suggestions  and  counsel, 
and  for  this  purpose  to  act  somewhat  as  a  clearing-house  for  educational 
statistics  and  data  to  be  collated  by  the  Board. 

9.  To  educate  public  opinion  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  gen- 
eral cause  of  education  by  publication  of  reports  through  the  daily  press 
and  by  other  means. 

10.  To  promote  by  all  suitable  means  every  form  of  valuable  educa- 
tional work.  Wallack  Buttkrick, 

Secretary  Executive  Office. 
116  Nassau  St,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  May  31,  1902. 

A  few  weeks  ago  Greensboro,  N.  C,  raised  $4,000  for  the 
public  schools  of  Guilford  County.    This  amount  will  be  duplicated 


112  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

by  the  General  Education  Board,  the  only  condition  attached  being 
a  special  tax  levy  for  schools  in  each  district  that  receives  any  of 
the  money  raised. 

"The  educational  awakening  is  now  on  in  full  force.  We  are 
at  last  realizing  that  universal  education  is  a  necessity  for  our 
people,  and  also  that  in  our  higher  institutions  of  learning  we 
must  produce  the  best  scholarship  and  culture.  Libraries,  labora- 
tories and  great  teachers  must  give  scholarship  a  chance." — Prof. 
Mimms,  of  Trinity  College. 

The  Outlook,  May  17,  1902,  has  this  to  say  in  regard  to 
Southern  education :  "North  Carolina  is  one  of  the  leading  States 
in  this  new  movement.  *  *  ^'  The  first  gift  of  the  National 
Board  was  one  of  $4,000  to  the  public  schools  in  Guilford  County, 
and  that  gift  was  made  contingent  upon  the  raising  of  an  equal 
sum  by  the  citizens  of  the  vicinity." 

This  is  a  real  movement  of  reconstruction. 

Fifty  years  from  the  present  the  historians  will  say  that  Dr. 
Charles  W.  Dabney,  of  the  University  of  Tennessee,  was  in  his 
day  the  great  educational  statesman  of  the  South,  They  will 
probably  say  that  he,  more  than  any  other,  brought  learning  from 
the  heights  of  theology  and  law  to  the  fruitful,  pleasant  valleys 
of  how-to  do  things.  Manual  training,  agriculture,  school  garden- 
ing he  encouraged.  He  presented  the  greatest  need  of  the  South 
before  the  thoughtful  men  of  the  Southern  Education  Board,  so 
that  they  saw  the  situation.  Dr.  Dabney  brought  about  self-reali- 
zation in  the  South.  He  focussed  all  eyes  on  the  remedy  of  weak- 
ness. In  science,  in  art,  in  literature,  his  work  has  been  of  creative 
service.  "Everything  in  the  South,"  said  he.  "waits  on  general 
education." 

He  organized  the  Summer  School  of  the  South,  and  gave  the 
teachers  there  assembled  charge  of  this  individual,  resourceful  de- 
velopment. Recognized  leaders  of  thought  and  great  teachers 
came  and  all  were  inspired  by  a  new  hope.  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall, 
the  distinguished  philosopher,  said  in  regard  to  the  vSummer 
School  of  the  South  : 


DR.    MelVEK, 
i'kesiuknt  of  thf.  st\ti-  nokmai,  coi.i,f,ce. 

THK   l.fTHKR   OF    NOKTH    CAROLINA    FtnCATION. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  118 

"It  is  the  bij^jjcst  one  in  the  world.  In  numbers  and  interest 
it  has  never  been  surpassed.  From  what  observation  I  have  been 
able  to  give  the  class  work,  the  character  of  the  work  being  done 
is  of  the  best.  I  think  that  the  greatest  impression  made  upon 
me,  next  to  the  number,  is  the  .social  quality  of  the  students.  You 
have  the  advantage  over  us  in  the  North  by  far,  in  the  high  char- 
acter, socially,  of  the  ladies,  especially,  who  are  the  teachers  in  the 
schools.  Most  of  our  teachers  are  from  the  lower  walks  of  life, 
while  yours  arc  from  the  best.  This  means  more  than  you  can 
possibly  appreciate.  This  school  is  sure  to  have  a  tremendous 
influence  upon  Southern  civilization." 


114  GUILFORD  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  XL 

HISTORY    OF    CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY. 

Guilford  has  been  a  county  of  many  religious  sects,  of 
churches  and  of  ministers.  However  these  people  may  differ  in 
regard  to  other  beliefs  and  manners,  they  all  agree  in  the  doctrine 
of  Puritanism.  To  deviate  from  the  Puritan  standard  to  them  is 
sin.  The  rigidity  of  Friends  concerning  outward  show,  and  the 
will  power  of  the  Presbyterians  relating  to  duty,  have  each  the 
essence  of  Puritanism  in  them. 

The  Presbyterian  Church,  the  Society  of  Friends,  the  German 
Reformed  and  Lutheran  Churches,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  the  Episcopal  Church, 
the  Baptist  Church  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  have  had 
each  a  share  in  the  moral  and  religious  tone  of  this  section  of 
the  State.  In  regard  to  time,  influence  and  number,  the  Presby- 
terians and  Friends  are  first.  The  work  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
in  this  County  relating  to  slavery  and  to  the  settling  up  of  the 
West  has  touched  our  national  life.  The  Presbyterians  of  Guil- 
ford have  been  soldiers  and  architects  of  state. 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  is  and  has  been  since  its  organiza- 
tion here  a  strong  and  most  influential  denomination  in  North 
Carolina.  Her  ministers  have  been  men  remarkable  for  allegiance 
to  duty  and  for  leading  men.  The  true  worth  of  many  men  is 
largely  brought  out  by  the  shepherd  of  the  people.  Dr.  David 
Caldwell,  Dr.  Eli  W.  Caruthers,  Dr.  Calvin  Henderson  Wiley, 
Dr.  Jacob  Henry  Smith  and  his  son.  Dr.  Egbert  W.  Smith,  have 
had  an  influence  for  good  in  North  Carolina  equaled  probably  by 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  116 

no  other  body  of  five  men.  In  statecraft,  literature,  education  and 
the  development  of  character  as  well  as  in  the  buildinj?  up  of  the 
church,  they  have  shed  an  intUience  of  lipht  and  calory  from  the 
lH\£:inning  of  the  history  of  Piedmont  Xorth  Carolina. 

In  1753  the  Nottingham  Company  .from  Pennsylvania  bouu:ht 
J  1.1 20  acres  of  land  on  the  waters  of  the  North  Bufifalo  and 
Reedy  Fork.  Dr.  Eli  \V.  Caruthers,  in  his  Life  of  David  Caldwell, 
pages  24  and  93,  says  that  when  these  people  were  making  their 
arrangements  to  change  their  residence,  which  was  about  the  time 
David  Caldwell  commenced  his  education,  or  soon  after,  they 
made  a  conditional  agreement  with  him  that  when  he  obtained 
license  to  preach  he  would  come  and  be  their  pastor.  From  1745 
to  1758  the  two  Synods  of  Philadel])hia  and  New  York  appointed 
missionaries  to  North  Carolina.  liook  seven  in  the  Register  of 
Deeds  office  at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  contains  the  indenture  to  the 
Synods  of  Philadelphia  and  New.  York  for  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
Bufifalo  Creek  for  the  use  of  a  church,  and  "to  that  use  forever, 
including  meeting  house  and  study  house." 

In  the  life  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  not  only,  but  in  educa- 
tional w'ork  also,  perhaps  no  name  stands  above  that  of  David 
Caldwell.  In  the  spring  of  1765  he  was  appointed  by  the  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  to  labor  at  least  one  year  as  a 
missionary  in  North  Carolina.  He  settled  near  the  present  site  of 
Greensboro.  In  this  pioneer  settlement  he  was  pastor  of  both 
Buffalo  and  Alamance  churches,  a  practicing  physician,  and 
teacher  of  what  was  for  many  years  the  largest  school  in  North 
Carolina.  He  was  a  good  farmer  and  had  much  to  do  with  aflfairs 
of  state.  Marked  intellectual  vigor  and  physical  energy  character- 
ized his  work  in  North  Carolina. 

Buffalo  Church,  two  miles  or  more  north  of  Greensboro,  was 
organized  five  or  six  years  before  Dr.  Caldwell  came;  and  Ala- 
mance church  soon  after,  or  when  he  was  here  as  a  licentiate,  in 


116  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

1764.  His  installation  as  pastor  took  place  according  to  appoint- 
ment of  Presbytery  at  Buffalo,  March  3,  1768.  In  the  graveyard 
at  Buffalo  he  is  buried  and  his  stone  bears  this  inscription : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  D.  D.  Graduated 
at  Princeton  College,  N.  J.,  removed  to  North  Carolina  at  a  period  not 
exactly  known.  Organized  the  churches  of  Buffalo  and  Alamance,  over 
which  he  has  faithfully  sustained  the  office  of  pastor  for  more  than  sixty 
years.  He  departed  this  life  August  28,  1824,  aged  near  one  hundred 
years." 

The  tablets  and  headstones  in  the  old  graveyard  at  Buffalo 
reveal  the  last  repose  of  many  brave  Revolutionary  st)ldiers.  The 
Gillespies,  the  Donnells  and  Rankins  there  buried  fought  for  the 
cause  of  American  liberty. 

"In  memory  of  Col.  Daniel  Gillespie,  born  in  Frederick  Co.,  Va., 
October,  1743.  Son  of  pious  and  worthy  parents,  endowed  by  nature  with 
a  mind  above  ordinary  grade,  with  a  strong  love  of  liberty  and  great 
decision  of  character,  though  without  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, he  will  nevertheless  be  ranked  by  a  grateful  posterity  among  the  noble 
band  of  patriots  whose  skill  and  valor  in  the  field  of  battle  during  the 
struggle  of  national  independence,  and  whose  wisdom  and  integrity  in  the 
council  chamber  where  the  principles  were  discussed  and  the  platforms 
constructed  of  the  happiest  government  on  earth.  Having  through  a  long 
life  discharged  the  duties  of  husband,  father,  soldier,  statesman,  citizen, 
with  uncomon  fidelity,  he  died  in  a  good  old  age,  January,  1829." 

Alamance  church,  a  few  miles  east  of  Greensboro,  is  the 
second  oldest  Presbyterian  church  in  Guilford  County.  William 
Cusach  gave  the  land  for  the  church,  of  which  it  may  be  said  that 
prayer  was  its  cornerstone.  On  a  day  appointed  the  people,  with 
their  axes,  came  together.  Andrew  Finley  proposed  that  they 
should  kneel  in  prayer  for  Divine  blessing  on  their  undertaking 
on  this  consecrated  ground.  The  band  of  workmen  offered  solemn 
supplication  to  God  for  the  upbuilding  of  this  church  in  their 
pioneer  country.  Soon  a  log  house  was  built  for  worship.  Henry 
Patillo,  a  missionary  sent  out  by  the  Synod  of  New  York,  was 
present  at  its  organization. 

The  people  of  Alamance  Churcl^i  were  of  the  New  Light 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  117 

faith,  or  bclicviTs  of  tlii-  rtvival  doctrine  of  George  Whitfield. 
Those  of  HulTaU)  were  conservative  Presbyterians.  When  these 
classes  were  formed  into  one  pastorate  by  Dr.  Caldwell,  an  anti- 
W  hitficlilian.  bnt  a  man  of  great  piety  and  prndencc,  there  was 
a  l)lcti(li!ig  of  the  better  elements  of  both  sides  and  a  quiet  resist- 
ance to  extreme  tendencies  either  way  and  a  development  of  an 
active,  conservative,  religious  life.  In  1791  a  great  revival,  ex- 
tending through  several  counties,  was  felt  at  Alamance.  In  1799 
new  names  appear  on  the  list  of  Orange  Presbytery  as  ordained 
in  the  vear  1797  or  '98.  These  were  Guilford  County  men:  Wil- 
liam T.  Thomas.  William  I'aisley.  John  Gillespie,  Samuel  McAdoo 
and  Robert  Tate.    Jjce  Dr.  Wiley's  Address  on  Alamance  Church. 

Among  the  early  members  of  Alamance  Church  was  John 
Thorn,  who  lived  about  two  and  one-half  miles  from  Alamance 
Church.  He  came  from  Maryland.  Other  members  were  David, 
\\  illiam  and  John  McAdoo,  Abram  and  Samuel  Leckey.  A  sub- 
sc?-iption  list  of  .August  23,  1800.  shows  that  Marshall  McLean, 
Robert  Shaw,  Andrew  McGee,  David  Wiley  and  William  Wiley 
were  trustees  of  Alamance  Church. 

In  1813  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  was  divided  into  the 
Synods  of  North  Carolina  and  of  South  Carolina.  In  that  year 
the  North  Carolina  Synod  held  its  first  meeting  at  Alamance 
Church. 

In  1825  Sabbath  School  was  established  at  Alamance  Church. 
Master  John  Finley  was  its  first  superintendent.  The  school  was 
held  all  day  Sunday,  with  an  intermission  for  dinner.  The  "A,  B, 
C  Card,"  the  "Blue-backed  Speller,"  the  Bible  and  the  Shorter 
Catechism  were  the  text-books  used. 

In  1829  a  revival  meeting  came,  and  for  days  and  nights  the 
tents,  the  church  and  all  the  woods  resounded  with  prayer  and 
religion  was  the  absorbing  theme.  In  1830  there  were  added  to 
the  church  one  hundred  and  twenty  members. 

Dr.  Eli  W.  Caruthers  succeeded  David  Caldwell  as  pastor  of 
both  Alamance  and  Buflalo  churches.    His  life  of  David  Caldwell, 


118  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

and  his  histories  of  the  Old  North  State  during  the  period  of  the 
Revokition  are  foundation  stones  in  North  CaroHna  history. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  at  Greensboro  was  organized  on  tRe 
third  of  October,  1824.  Rev.  John  Witherspoon,  of  Hillsboro, 
N.  C,  presided  over  the  meeting  and  the  church  was  organized 
with  twelve  members — two  male  members,  six  female  members 
and  four  negro  slaves.  Wm.  R.  D.  Lindsay,  Justin  Field,  Mrs. 
Frances  Paisley,  Mrs.  Ann  Mebane,  Polly  Paisley,  Mary  Ann 
Paisley,  Elizabeth  Caldwell,  Mrs.  Mary  Carson  are  the  names  of 
the  original  white  members ;  and  the  names  of  the  servants  were 
Tony,  Milly  and  Tilly,  slaves  of  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Paisley,  and  Kezia, 
slave  of  Robert  Carson. 

Wm.  R.  D.  Lindsay  was  unanimously  elected  to  the  office  of 
ruling  elder.  The  following  persons  were  elected  trustees  to 
attend  to  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  church,  none  of  whom,  it 
appears,  were  at  that  time  communicants :  Thomas  Caldwell, 
Robert  A.  Carson,  Dr.  John  A.  Mebane,  Christopher  Moring, 
Abraham  Geering.  In  183 1  twenty-six  persons  were  added  to  the 
membership — twenty  whites  and  six  colored. 

In  1832  the  first  house  of  worship  was  built.  Jesse  H.  Lind- 
say donated  the  lot  for  it.  Four  additional  ruling  elders  were 
elected:  Silas  C.  Lindsay,  Christopher  Moring,  Wm.  H.  Gumming, 
Green  D.  Jordan.  The  whole  membership  that  year  was  thirty- 
eight — twenty-eight  whites  and  ten  colored.  Green  D.  Jordan 
became  a  member  in  1832  and  soon  became  a  ruling  elder,  and 
with  him  Silas  C.  Lindsay,  Christopher  Moring,  Wm.  H.  Gum- 
ming also  became  ruling  elders.  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Paisley  was  supply, 
and  preached  twice  a  month.  In  1833  the  Sabbath  School  was 
organized,  with  W.  H.  Gumming  superintendent.  In  1839  Wm. 
D.  Rankin  became  ruling  elder.  In  1840  Watson  W.  Wharton, 
Dr.  David  C.  Mebane,  Dr.  David  C.  Weir  were  ordained  ruling 
elders.  On  October  23,  1843,  a  congregational  meeting  was  held, 
presided  over  by  Rev.  John  Witherspoon.  A  unanimous  call  was 
extended  to  the  Rev.  John  A.  Gretter,  who  accepting  the  call,  was 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  lip 

duly  ordained  and  installed  as  the  first  pastor,  October  13.  1849. 
Ralph  Gorrell  and  Jesse  H.  Lindsay  were  elected  ruling'  elders. 
Mr.  Gretter  died  July  21.  1853.  and  Rev.  John  M.  Sherwood  acted 
as  supply  for  a  year.  July  26,  1854.  Rev.  J.  Jones  Smythe  was 
called  to  the  pastorate.  Until  his  arrival,  January  i,  1855,  Rev. 
Martin  McQueen  acted  as  supi)ly.  On  the  fifth  of  February, 
1851;.  a  call  was  made  for  Rev.  J.  Henry  Smith  and  he  came  April 
20,  1859. 

The  Civil  War  had  an  cftVct  on  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
i8t>8  the  colored  members  withdrew  and  were  organized  into  a 
Colored  Presbyterian  Church.  They  had  sat  in  the  gallery,  listened 
to  the  same  sermons,  and  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the 
same  church  with  their  masters,  the  sheep  of  one  fold.  This  had 
much  to  do  with  making  the  old-time  negro  the  beautiful  char- 
acter that  he  was.  After  the  War  their  names  were  erased  from 
the  book  of  this  church.  They  had  their  own  pastor,  officers, 
Sunday  School  and  about  one  hundred  members. 

When  Dr.  Smith  came  to  the  church  its  membership  was  one 
hundred  and  eighty.  In  1887  it  numbered  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five.  The  present  membership  is  seven  hundred.  April  29, 
1863,  Richard  Sterling,  C.  G.  Yates,  J.  L  Scales,  L.  Swain  and 
John  H.  Dillard  became  ruling  elders.  In  1879  Robert  P.  Dick, 
Samuel  C.  Smith,  John  A.  Gilmer,  became  ruling  elders.  In  1882 
Robert  M.  Sloan,  Sr.,  became  ruling  elder.  In  1887,  Dr.  Smith's 
son.  Egbert  W.  Smith,  was  junior  pastor,  and  in  December,  1893, 
he  became  pastor  with  his  father,  being  unanimously  elected.  In 
1879,  the  session  of  this  church,  feeling  that  the  growth  of  the  city 
was  tending  toward  the  depot  and  south  of  it,  took  measures  to 
establish  a  chapel  in  that  section.  In  1882,  a  lot  was  bought  with 
a  view  to  building  a  mission  chapel. 

The  Register  of  Elders  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  from 
October  3,  1824,  to  March,  1902: 

Wm.  R.  D  Lindsay  Silas  C.  Lindley 

Christopher  Moring  Wm.  H.  Cuniming 


120 


GUILFORD  COUNTY, 


John  A.  Gilmer 

Robt.  M.  Sloan,  Sr. 

Dr.  Robert  F.  Robertson 

William  S.  Moore 

Governor  Alfred  Moore  Scales 

Jas.  T.  Carson 

Lunsford  Richardson 

J.  William  Scott 

Judge  Thomas  J.  Shaw 

Alfred  M.  Scales 

Rudolph  G.  Lea 

William  C.  McLean 

Dr.  Albert  R.  Wilson 

Lee  G.  Wharton 


'Green  D.  Jordan 
Wm.  S.  Rankin 
Watson  W.  Wharton 
Dr.  David  C.  Mebane 
Dr.  David  P.  Weir 
Ralph  Gorrell 
Jesse  H.  Lindsay 
John  C.  Wharton 
Prof.  Richard  Sterling 
Chas.  G.  Yates 
Lyndon  Swain 
Junius  L  Scales 
Judge  John  H.  Dillard 
Judge  Robt.  P.  Dick 
Prof.  Sam'l  C.  Smith 

The  Register  of  the  Deacons  of 
from  November  25,  1849,  ^  March 
James  Sloan 
Robt.  G.  Lindsay 
Andrew  Weatherly 
Milton  Rose 
Fenner  M.  Walker 
Chas  G.  Yates 
Robt.  P.  Dick 
Wm.  A.  Caldwell 
Wm.  S.  Moore 
Wm.  B.  Bogart 
Wm.  R.  Murray 
Jas.  T.  Carson 
Robt.  M.  Sloan,  Jr. 
Geo.  S.  Sergeant 
Jed  H.  Lindsay 
J.  Wm.  Scott 

J.ACOB   HENRY   SMITH. 

In  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  Carohna 
one  character  is  set  reflecting  rays  of  Ught  like  a  diamond.  To 
his  city  and  his  country,  to  civiHzation  and  humanity,  his  Hfe  has 

Note:     1  suppose  that  from  the  organization   (1824)  till   Nov.  1849,  the  elders  dis- 
charged duties  of  deacon*.  E.  W.  Smith,  (Pastor.) 


the  First  Presbyterian  Church 

25,  1900: 

Wm.  Edmund  Bevill 

Robt.  F.  Robe  rr  son 

Wm.  C.  McLean 

Sam'l  A.  Kerr 

Sample  S.  Brown 

Neil  Ellington 

James  King  Hall 

Robert  G.  Glenn 

Robert  R.  King 

William  E.  Allen 

Jesse  T.  Abbott 

Edward  M.  Hendrix 

Lee  G.  Wharton 

J.  Walker  Fry 

Robt.  G.  Vaughn 


^^w 


UK.    I.    IIKNKV  SMITH. 

FOR   THIKTV-KK'.MT   YKAKS    I'ASTOR  OK 

l-IRST    rRE>»VTKRIAN    CHIKCH    OF   C.RKKNSIIORO. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  121 

been  a  Mcssinj;.  'I'lu-  best  friend  on  earth  is  the  wise,  true  pastor. 
Th«nit,^b  (lead,  yet  Dr.  Smith  Hves  in  the  hves  of  his  children  and 
the  jHTiple  of  his  church. 

Rev.  Jacob  Henry  Smith  was  born  iu  Lexington.  Rockbridj^c 
County,  \irtrinia.  Auirust  13.  1820.  He  (bed  at  his  home  in 
("irccnsboro.  \.  C.  Monday.  November  22.  1897.  Dr.  Smith  was 
the  oldest  son  of  Samuel  Runckle  Smith  and  Margaret  Fuller.  His 
father's  parents.  Henry  Louis  Smith  and  Margaret  Runckle.  were 
of  German  extraction  and  spoke  only  the  German  lanj^ruaij^e. 

Jacob  Henrv  Smith  at  an  early  ajje  joined  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Lexington.  \a..  then  under  the  pastorate  of  Dr  Gcorpje 
A.  Baxter — the  church  in  which  Stonewall  Jackson  was  later  a 
deacon.  In  1843  ^^  qraduated  with  hiph  distinction  from  Wash- 
ington College,  now  Washingfton  and  Lee  University.  In  1846 
he  received  his  certificate  from  I'nion  Theolog^ical  Seminary. 
From  1850  to  1854  he  was  principal  and  professor  of  Latin  and 
Greek  in  the  Samuel  Davies  Institute.  Va.  In  1839  he  was  called 
to  Charlottesville.  In  June.  1859,  he  was  received  by  Oranpfe 
Presbytery  and  in  Julv  installed  over  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Greensboro.  Xorth  Carolina. 

In  u%i  Dr.  Smith  submitted  a  paper  before  Oranf^e  Presby- 
tery on  the  "Reported  Action  of  the  General  Assembly  in  Relation 
to  the  Political  Crisis  in  the  Country."  This  was  one  of  the  first 
steps,  if  not  the  first,  taken  toward  the  orj^anization  of  the  South- 
em  General  Assembly. 

The  Church  in  Greensboro  jjrew  steadily  and  rapidly  and  "It 
became."  says  Dr.  W.  W.  Moore,  "the  State's  chief  nursery  of 
pure  and  learned  lawyers,  judg^cs  and  j^overnors.'' 

Dr.  Smith  was  a  man  of  sjreat  natural  abilities.  He  possessed 
a  mind  of  fine  |q:rasp.  lofjical.  acute,  analytic,  broad  and  just.  He 
had  an  insatiable  love  of  learning:  and  was  indefatig^able  in  acqui- 
sition. He  was  a  scholar-student.  He  was  not  content  alone  to 
study,  but  he  mastered  any  department  of  knowledjje  bearings  on 
his  life-work,  which  meant  not  only  the  building^  up  of  a  church  in 


122  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

re,^ard  to  numbers  and  wealth,  but  the  much  higher  task  of 
making  men,  developing  the  highest  type  of  character  in  its  indi- 
vidual members.  Tenderness,  wisdom,  strength  and  firmness,  with 
the  courage  of  an  Isaiah,  sympathy  and  love  so  blended  in  him  as 
to  make  the  ideal  pastor  and  teacher  of  a  lifetime. 

In  1870  the  General  Assembly  appointed  Dr.  Smith  chairman 
of  the  Committee  of  Education,  and  in  1888  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Missions.  From  1866  he  was  director  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  Va.,  and  for  many  years  President 
of  that  Board  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  David- 
son College,  N.  C. 

In  1872  Hampden-Sidney  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  in  1877  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  gave  him  again  the  same  degree.  His  last  public  duty  in 
the  church  was  as  chairman  of  the  General  Assembly's  committee 
to  prepare  a  program  for  the  celebration  of  the  two  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Westminster  Assembly. 

Dr.  Smith  was  twice  married:  to  Miss  Catharine  Malvina 
Miller,  who  died  in  1854;  in  1857  to  Miss  Mary  Kelly  Watson. 
His  children  are :  ]\Irs.  L.  Richardson,  Mrs.  R.  G.  Vaughn ;  Rev. 
S.  M.  Smith,  D.  D.,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Colum- 
bia, S.  C. ;  Dr.  Henry  Louis  Smith,  President  of  Davidson  College ; 
Rev.  Egbert  W.  Smith,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Greensboro,  N.  C. ;  Dr.  C.  Alphonso  Smith,  Professor 
of  the  English  Language  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina ; 
Rev.  Hay  Watson  Smith,  of  the  Congregational  Church,  Park- 
ville,  N.  Y. 

A  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  J.  Henry  Smith  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Greensboro  has  inscribed  on  it  the  following 
stanza : 

Thirty-eight  years 

Down  History's  tide 
In  the  life  of  this  church 

Fondly  side  by  side 
Pastor  and  people  floated 
Gently  on, 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  1» 

Loving  and  loved,  in  days 

That  arc  gone. 
The  billows  of  tinu- 

Have  borne  him  away. 
From  the  starlit  dawn 
To  the  golden  day. 
\  larRC  and  handsonte  building  is  bcin-  erected  adjoinitip:  the 
ITesbvterian  Church  for  the  Sttnday  School  department  of  chnrch 
work.'    It  will  be  a  me.uorial  to  Dr.  J.  Henry  S.mith.     The  idea 
and  the  plan  .s  ori^nnal  with  Dr.  Egbert  W.  Smith.     The  schoo 
will  be  carried  on  with  the  best  means  of  education  of  the  present 

''''■'  The  I'resbvterian  Church  of  Guilford  County  has  had  three 
pastors  of  re.narkable  power.  Dr.  David  Caldwell  and  Dr.  Eh  W 
Caruthers  in  successive  ministry  labored  here  for  one  hundred 
years,  and  Dr.  J.  Henrv  Smith  for  thirty-eight  years.  These  men 
in  a  large  measure  contributed  to  the  civilization  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Thev  each  were  men  of  vital  strength  of  doctrme  and  their 
lives    would    indicate    that     Presbvterianism     is    conducive    to 

longovitv.  .        r-i        1     • 

(The  data  for  the  sketch  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Greensboro  were  obtained  from  a  sketch  of  that  church  by  Dr.  J. 
Menrv  Smith,  now  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Egbert  W.  Smith.  The 
data  for  the  historv  of  Alamance  Church  were  obtained  from  a 
speech  delivered  at  the  Centennial  of  that  churchj)y  Dr.  C^H. 
Wilev. ) 

THF,  SOCIKTV  OF  FRIKNOS. 

The  center  of  the  influence  and  strength  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  in  North  Carolina  has  been  Guilford  County.  For  a 
hundred  and  f^ftv  vears  their  Yearly  Meeting  has  been  held  in 
this  Countv.  first  at  New  Garden,  but  of  late  years  at  High  Point, 
N.  C.  Friends  had  first  settled  in  Pasquotank  Countv.  this  State, 
and  John  Archdalc  was  the  good  Quaker  governor  long  before. 
But  Friends  came  among  the  earliest  settlers  to  this  section.  There 
is  some  record  that  they  chartered  or  traded  with  the  Catawba 


124  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Indians  for  lands  in  the  beautiful  undulating  plains  of  western 
Guilford.  Guilford  College,  six  miles  west  of  Greensboro,  is  ihe 
seat  of  learning  of  Friends  in  the  South.  This  institution  was 
founded,  in  1837,  as  New  Garden  Boarding  School.  Friends  l.ave 
always  been  great  advocates  and  leaders  in  regard  to  education. 
From  the  first  they  seemed  to  have  believed  in  the  equal  educ-ition 
of  the  sexes.  Their  women  have  responded  in  the  noblest  anfl 
most  intellectual  types  of  character. 

The  principles  of  Friends  have  been  laid  down  by  George 
Fox,  whose  works  are  sometimes  read  fifty  or  one  hundred  times 
by  the  most  consistent  Friends.  Like  the  Israelites  of  old,  they 
have  been  a  "peculiar  people."  Their  opinions  in  regard  to  tem- 
perance, war  and  slavery  have  been  very  decided.  Though  not 
great  in  regard  to  number,  but,  united  in  fidelity,  firm  in  convic- 
tion, believing  in  the  "inner  light"  and  the  "written  word,"  their 
influence  has  been  felt  most  strong.  Their  position  before  and 
during  the  Civil  War  is  better  imagined  than  described.  The 
chapter  on  the  slavery  question  in  this  book  will  show  some  of  their 
principles  at  work.  In  1774  the  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting 
of  Friends  freed  their  slaves. 

Some  Friends  came  to  this  section  from  Pennsylvania  at  the 
same  time  the  Scotch-Irish  and  Germans  came,  having  crossed 
over  with  William  Penn.  With  this  company  were  the  Menden- 
halls,  Hunts,  Ballingers,  etc.  About  a  score  of  years  later  Friends 
from  New  England  came.  These  were  the  "Nantucketers." 
Again  another  company  came  from  eastern  North  Carolina.  See 
the  chapter  on  the  "Settlement." 

Friends  came  here  not  as  hunters  and  wanderers,  but  with 
civilization  and  the  Christian  religion.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
the  first  meeting  of  Friends  in  the  County  was  held  at  "Cobbie," 
or  Concord,  an  old  place  near  Centre  Meeting  House.  It  is  said 
that  the  first  Yearly  Meeting  in  western  North  Carolina  was  held 
here.  But  from  New  Garden  as  a  centre  the  other  meetings  of 
Friends  have  been  established.     New  Garden  may  be  called  the 


NORTH  (CAROLINA.  12^ 

mother  of  the  society  in  Caiilfor<l  Oniiity  an«l  also  of  the  society  in 
Tn(hana.  where  the  I'rieiuls  constitute  the  prevaiHnj:;  and  intUiential 
tlenoniination. 

Fmni  the  Register's  hook  at  Sahshury.  X.  C.  it  is  learned 
that  "on  the  19th  of  ( )ctoher.  1757.  Henry  iJallinper  and  Thomas 
Ihmt  houj^ht  of  Richard  Williams  fifty  acres  of  land  for  five 
shillings,  for  the  use.  henefit,  privilege  and  conveniency  of  a  Meet- 
ing house  which  is  already  erected  upon  the  ahove  and  bears  the 
name  New  Garden  for  the  Christian  people  called  Quakers  to  meet 
in  for  publick  worship  of  Almighty  God.  as  also  the  ground  to 
bury  their  dead  in."  The  place  was  called  Xcw  Garden  from  their 
home  in  Pennsylvania,  and  that  in  turn  from  Xcw  Garden  in 
England. 

In  1 75 1  a  meeting  fi>r  worship  was  granted  Friends  at  Xew 
Garden  by  Cane  Creek  Monthly  Meeting.  For  three  years  the 
Monthly  Meeting  circulated  between  Cane  Creek  of  Orange 
County  and  Xew  Garden. 

(  Dr.  Weeks'  "Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery"  is  an  exhaus- 
tive treatment  of  the  subject  of  the  early  church  history  of 
Friends.) 

Early  members  of  Xew  Garden  from  Pennsylvania  were: 
Joseph  Ogburn.  Peter  Cox,  Abram  Elliot.  John  and  Richard 
Mendenhall  and  William  Reynolds. 

Xew  Garden  is  one  of  the  most  historic  places  in  Piedmont 
Xorth  Carolina.  The  church  was  used  as  a  hospital  for  British 
and  American  soldiers  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
house. Tv/o  large  mounds  in  the  graveyard  show  the  last  resting 
place  of  some  of  the  bravest  of  Cornwallis's  army. 

In  1757,  Friends'  Meeting  House  at  Centre  was  established. 
The  meeting  was  hrsl  held  in  private  homes,  then  a  small  house 
was  built  which  was  used  for  both  worship  and  for  school.  Dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  War  Daniel  Worth  and  James  Dix  sat  at 
the  head  of  the  meeting.  Centre  is  a  historic  place  also  for  the 
number  of  great  men  who  were  born  there.     Three  governors  of 


126  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

three  States  were  born  almost  in  a  stone's  throw  of  the  church. 
The  Nixons,  who  edit  the  Inter-Occan,  were  born  here.  In  the 
old  graveyard  are  buried  members  of  the  Worth  family  for  genera- 
tions. 

Deep  River  has  been  one  of  the  strongest  Monthly  Meetings, 
In  1758  it  was  established  as  a  Preparative  Meeting.  In  1778  it 
became  a  iMonthly  Meeting.  In  1818  it  was  made  a  Quarterly 
Meeting.  The  records  of  Deep  River  Monthly  Meeting  show 
that  migration  westward  began  about  181 1  and  continued  to  i860. 
Many  of  its  members,  Mendenhalls,  Hills  and  others,  left  their 
home  meeting  to  live  in  Indiana,  Minnesota,  Ohio  and  elsewhere. 
Beeson,  Clark,  Cook,  Elliot.  Beard,  Gardner,  Harris,  Horney, 
Ham,  Henley,  Howell,  Hubbard,  Hiat,  Pike,  Pegg,  Starbuck  and 
others  went  to  Ohio.  Deep  River  Meeting  House  is  situated  on  a 
beautiful  high  plain  sloping  in  all  directions  toward  the  horizon. 
Mighty  oaks  are  back  of  the  large,  almost  square,  brick  building. 
A  large  graveyard  lies  in  front,  the  low  stones  in  the  centre  of 
which  mark  a  time  in  the  history  of  Friends  when  gravestones 
were  not  allowed  higher  than  eighteen  inches.  Around  these  are 
more  imposing  monuments.  However  quaint  the  place  may  be 
within  this  hallowed  mould,  though  gray  and  sere,  romance  and 
beauty  and  nobility  are  laid  away  with  some  of  earth's  grim 
secrets.  Diversity  and  individuality  may  be  safely  studied  in  the 
congregation  of  the  dead.  Deep  River  is  a  typical  Friends'  j\Ieet- 
ing. 

WEST   MARKE;T  street  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

The  first  record  of  Methodism  in  Piedmont  Carolina  is  that  of 
1770,  when  Andrew  Yeargan  was  appointed  to  Yadkin  Circuit, 
which  embraced  Guilford  County  and  was  a  part  of  Virginia  Con- 
ference. Three  years  later  Guilford  Circuit  was  formed  and 
Samuel  Dudley  and  James  Gibbons  were  put  in  charge  of  it.  In 
1800  this  Circuit  reported  five  hundred  and  fifty-one  white  mem- 
bers and  thirty-nine  colored.  A  year  later  the  minutes  show  that 
the  Circuit  was  a  part  of  the  Salisbury  District,  and  James  Douthit 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  127 

was  presii'iii.i;  cldtr.  A  list  oi  the  pastors  of  the  church  from 
1800  to  the  present  time  is  fjivcn : 

ivSoo.  \Vm.  Atwood;  1801.  Josiah  Phillips;  1802.  John  Moose;  1803, 
Thomas  L.  DouRlas.  J.  C.  Ballew ;  1804.  Win.  Huhhard.  George  Dillard; 
1805.  John  Cox.  Nathan  Weldon ;  1806,  John  Gibbon.  Richard  Owen ;  1807, 
William  Barnes.  Chas.  Ronndtree:  1808.  Edminid  Henley.  J.  T.  Brockwell; 
i8<x),  Chas.  Ronndtree.  John  Humphries;  1810.  Joel  Arrington ;  181 1.  Kd- 
ward  Cannon.  Erasmus  Stinson;  181  j.  F.thelbert  Drake;  1813.  Joel  .Erring- 
ton.  John  Hoylc;  1814.  Joel  Arrington,  Cyrus  Christian;  1813.  Henry 
Robertson,  Chas.  Mos'ey ;  1S16.  James  Hammer,  Abraham  Frail;  1817,  Sam- 
uel Garrard.  James  Smith;  1818.  John  F.  Wright,  .A.rchibald  Robinson; 
181Q.  Samuel  Hunter.  Benj.  Stephens;  1820.  Thomas  Howard;  1821.  James 
Rcid;  i8.:3.  Thacker  Muis;  1824.  Jesse  Lee;  1825.  Rufus  Wiley;  1826.  Thos. 
Mann.  Jacob  Hill;  1^27.  Rufus  Wiley.  Thomas  Mann;  1828.  W.  N.  Abing- 
ton;  1829.  Richard  D.  Merriweathcr.  Joshua  Jaliff;  1830.  Peter  Doub ;  1831, 
John  H.  Watson.  W.  W.  Albca.  helper;  1832-3.  Joshua  Bethel.  In  1834 
the  record  reads:  '"Greensboro — Samuel  Bryant."  In  1835.  Robert  O. 
Burton;  1836.  B.  B.  Miles.  In  1837  the  North  Carolina  Conference  was 
established  by  the  General  Conference.  Its  first  session  the  following  year 
was  held,  at  which  time  James  Purvis  was  sent  to  Greensboro.  In  1838 
Thomas  S.  Campbell  was  pastor;  1839.  William  Class;  1840.  Addison  Lea; 
i8Ut,  Ira  T.  Wyche ;  1843.  Bcnj.  M.  Williams;  1844-5.  S.  S.  Bryant;  1846, 
Joel  W.  Turker;  18 17.  Peter  Doub.  Joseph  B.  Martin;  1848,  Samuel  M. 
Frost;  1849,  A.  S.  Andrews;  18^0,  James  P.  Simpson;  1851,  James  Jami- 
son. S.  D.  Bumpass:  1852-3.  N.  H.  D.  Wilson;  1854-5.  W.  H.  Bobbitt; 
1856,  Numa  F.  Rcid.  Joshua  Bethel ;  1857-8.  L.  S.  Burkhcad ;  1859-60.  L.  L. 
Hcndren;  1S61-2.  H.  T.  Hudson;  1863-4.  Joel  W.  Tucker;  1865-8.  William 
Barringer;  1869.  A.  W.  Mangum ;  1S70-3.  J.  A.  Cunningham;  1874.  W.  H. 
Bobbitt;  1875-7.  S.  D.  Adams;  187S-80.  D.  R.  Burton.  J.  C.  Thomas.  Supt. 
in  '79:  1881-4.  L.  W.  Crawford;  1S85-8.  J.  E.  Mann;  1889.  L.  W.  Crawford; 
i8'/)-94.  S.  H.  Hilliard;  1894.  J.  li.  Weaver;  1897.  Dr.  Roe;  1900.  S.  B. 
Turrentine. 

In  1830  the  first  regular  Methodist  Church  of  Greensboro  was  built, 
when  Rev.  Peter  Doub  was  pastor.  In  1850-1  a  new  site  was  chosen  on 
West  Market  Street.  Again  in  1892  the  congregation  had  grown  so  large 
as  to  demand  a  more  commodious  building.  .Vnother  lot  was  bought  on 
West  Markvt  Street,  more  elevated  and  nearer  the  centre  of  the  city.  On 
April  17,  1893,  the  Quarterly  Conference  appointed  as  a  building  committee, 
Mcssr.s.  S.  L.  Alderman,  W.  G.  Balsley.  C.  H.  Dorsett.  W.  H.  Hill.  Chas. 
H.  Ireland.  H.  H.  Merrimon.  T.  M.  Pickard.  S.  L.  Trogdon.  C.  W.  Whitsett, 


128  ,  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

G.  W.  Alley.  S.  Brown.  H.  W.  Cobb.  C.  M.  Hackett,  H.  M.  Alford,  J.  A. 
Odell,  H.  L.  Scott,  J.  I\I.  Winstead.  July  5.  1893,  the  first  brick  was  laid  for 
the  edifice;  the  new  West  iMarket  Church  is  one  of  the  handsomest 
churches  of  any  denomination  in  the  State.* 

Pastor.— Rev.  S.  B.  Turrentine,  D.  D. 

Bo.vRD  OF  Stewards.— J.  A.  Odell,  President;  C.  H.  Ireland,  Vice- 
President;  Prof.  W.  F.  Alderman,  Treasurer;  Dr.  J.  E.  Wyche,  Secretary; 
J.  N.  Richardson,  E.  J.  Stafford.  C.  H.  Dorsett,  C.  A.  Bray,  J.  N.  Leak, 
J.  W.  Landreth.  W.  W.  Wood,  Dr.  Dred  Peacock,  A.  W.  Vickory,  Dr.  Jno. 
H.  Wheeler.  F.  C.  Boyles,  M.  S.  Sherwood,  T.  M.  Pickard.  E.  L.  Sides, 
Prof.  J.  M.  Bandy,  R.  R.  Alley,  W.  P.  Hutton.  W.  T.  Smith,  O.  F.  Pearce. 

Lookout  Committee. — C.  H.  Ireland,  Chairman;  Dr.  J.  H.  Wheeler, 
F.  C.  Boyles.  W.  W.  Wood.  W.  T.  Smith. 

Finance  Committee. — E.  L.  Sides,  Chairman;  Dr.  Dred  Peacock, 
M.  S.  Sherwood,  J.  N.  Richardson,  T.  M.  Pickard. 

Committee  on  Care  of  Sick. — C.  H.  Dorsett,  Chairman;  E.  J.  Staf- 
ford, J.  W.  Landreth,  O.  F.  Pearce,  W.  P.  Hutton. 

Committee  on  Church  Property.— C.  A.  Bray,  Chairman;  J.  N. 
Leak,  A.  W.  Vickory,  R.  R.  Alley.  Prof.  J.  M.  Bandy. 

Trustees.— G.  W.  Alley,  Chairman ;  G.  Will  Armfield,  M.  Lamb,  J.  A. 
Odell.  S.  L.  Trogdon.  W.  E.  Coffin,  J.  N.  Richardson,  W.  H.  Turner,  S.  C. 
Dodson. 

USHERS.-C.  H.  Dorsett,  Chairman;  V/.  T.  Smith,  Jos.  J.  Stone.  J.  N. 
Leak,  E.  J.  Stafiford,  E.  A.  Brown,  R.  E.  Reeves.  G.  W.  Patterson.  M.  R. 
Reeves.  O.  S.  Ball,  H.  G.  Reinickcr,  A.  E.  B.  Alford,  Sidney  N.  Peters,  A.  J. 
Sykes,  R.  G.  Stockton. 

METHODIST  PROTESTANT  CHURCH. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  there  was  a  division  in  the 
Methodist  Church  in  regard  to  church  government,  and  the  Metho- 
dist Protestant  Church  was  created,  beheving  that  obedience  to 
bishops  was  inconsistent  with  a  repubhcan  people.  The  first 
Methodist  Protestant  church  in  central  and  western  North  Caro- 
lina was  Moriah,  in  Guilford  County,  four  miles  south  of  Greens- 
boro. Moriah  had  once  been  a  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  but 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  John  Coe,  Joseph  Gilbreath,  James 
Hendricks  and  William  Gilbreath  it  became  Methodist  Protestant. 

*  I  am  indebted  for  this  data  to  Miss  Ruih  York,  who  has  an  excellent  sketch  of  the 
Church  in  Vol.  3,  College  Message. 


KOUKNT    M.   SI.OAX, 

F.I.UKR  IN   TlIK   IkKSHYTERIAN  CHLKCH, 

.\(;i:i)  OVKR  NI.NM-TY. 


NOHni  CAROUSA.  12B 

This  little  band  of  thirty-four  nu-ti  and  wonu-n  planted  the  Metho- 
<list  Protestant  Church  in  Guilford  County.  It  is  said  that  there 
are  more  churches  of  this  denomination  in  Guilford  County  than 
anv  other,  thoutjh  it  is  surpassed  by  others  in  regard  to  numbers. 
.\l)out  1840.  Tabernacle  Church  was  established.  Jonathan  Causey 
donated  the  first  plot  of  p:round.  In  1841  they  built  a  commodious 
house,  and  a  i)reacher.  Kev.  Joseph  Causey,  painted  it.  The 
trustees  were:  John  Forbis.  Samuel  Hunter.  Levi  Cau.sey,  Joseph 
Alexander  and  John  Hardin.  This  church  has  now  a  membership 
of  three  hundred. 

About  1830.  IMeasaiit  rnion  was  built.  Rev.  .\lson  Gray,  one 
of  the  cfreatest  preachers  of  this  denomination,  organized  the 
church.  In  1842  I'eter  Julian,  Christian  Kime  and  G.  W.  Bowman 
were  appointed  trustees.  Peter  Bowman  was  first  Sunday  School 
superintendent.  One  special  rule  in  a  long  list  of  rules  which  were 
read  each  Sunday  was :  "That  males  and  females  were  not  to  go 
together,  but  males  by  themselves  and  females  by  themselves."  In 
1855  the  church  numbered  twenty-four  males  and  eleven  females. 
Following  this  time  the  pastors  were:  Revs.  Jordan  Neese,  A.  W. 
Lineberry.  T.  II.  Pegram,  J.  L.  iMichaux,  W.  C.  Kennett,  C.  F. 
Harris.  R.  R.  Michaux,  J.  H.  Page,  J.  W.  Heath.  J.  W.  Ball,  R.  H. 
W  ills.  S.  W.  Coe,  T.  F.  McCuUocli,  J.  R.  Hutton,  W.  W.  Amick, 
G.  F.  Millaway. 

Bethel.  Flat  Rock,  \\,  are  also  Methodist  Protestant  churches, 
built  up  by  the  labors  of  Revs.  Alson  Gray  and  A.  W.  Lineberry. 
Grace  Methodist  Protestant  Church  was  erected  in  1892.  Its  first 
pastor  was  Rev.  W.  F.  Ogborn,  from  Maryland,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  J.  S.  Williams.  Rev.  J.  F.  McCulloch  served  one 
year  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  T.  M.  Johnson.  The  erection  of 
this  church  marked  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  the  Methodist  Protes- 
tant Church  in  this  State,  and  in  a  great  measure  Grace  Church 
determines  the  thought  and  progress  of  the  denomination.  Many 
little  children  attend  Grace  Church.  Seated  in  a  body  they  are  a 
beautiful  group. 


130  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

The  Methodist  Protestant  Church  at  High  Point  was  begun 
in  1894.  On  the  fourth  Sunday  in  September,  1895,  Rev.  F.  T. 
Tagg,  D.  D.,  preached  the  opening  sermon,  at  the  close  of  which 
a  collection  was  taken  sufficient  to  cover  the  indebtedness.  In  the 
evening  Rev.  T.  J.  Ogburn  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  and 
organized  the  church  with  thirteen  members.  At  the  following 
conference  W.  R.  Lowdermilk  was  made  pastor. 

The  oldest  of  the  German  Reformed  churches  in  Guilford 
County  is  Lows  Church,  standing  on  the  old  road  from  Hills- 
borough to  Salisbury,  North  Carolina.  (See  Colonial  Records, 
Vol.  8,  1735.)  It  was  a  union  Reformed  and  Lutheran  church 
until  dissentions  arose  in  regard  to  the  Regulation  war.  Upon 
that  the  Reformed  members  moved  out  to  a  house  of  their  own, 
"Brick  Church,"  of  which  Rev.  Samuel  Suther  was  pastor  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  In  these  years  Ludwig  Clapp  and  Christian 
Foust  were  elders.  After  three  years  Rev.  Bithahm  succeeded  the 
Rev.  Suther.  After  this  Rev.  Andrew  Loretz  made  annual  visits 
for  a  number  of  years.  The  people  were  accustomed  to  meeting 
without  a  pastor  each  Sabbath  for  worship,  when  the  ruling  elder 
or  the  schoolmaster  read  a  selected  sermon.  In  18 12  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Albright  secured  the  services  of  a  young  minister,  who  was 
deputed  to  visit  all  of  the  Reformed  churches  of  the  South.  Rev. 
James  R.  Riley  came,  making  the  visit  on  horseback  by  way  of 
the  emigrant  route.  Under  his  preaching  fifty-seven  members 
were  added  to  this  church.  1814  was  the  most  prosperous  year 
of  Brick  Church.  In  1841  Rev.  G.  William  Welker  became  pastor 
and  served  in  that  capacity  this  church  about  fifty  years. 

Frieden's  Church  was  organized  soon  after  Brick  Church, 
probably  by  the  same  minister,  ten  miles  northeast,  in  Guilford 
County.  It  was  first  known  as  Stahmaker's  Church.  The  Re- 
formed families  here  were  the  Weitzells,  Wyricks,  Straders,  De- 
Wolds,  etc.  In  1855  Rev.  G.  William  Welker  became  their  pastor, 
bringing  new  life  to  the  church.  Gideon  DeWald  and  William 
Weitzell  were  chosen  elders ;  John  Clapp,  Duncan  Trosler  and 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  181 

Joshua  Wcitzell.  deacons.  After  a  few  years  St.  Mark's  Riforined 
Church  was  built,  at  Boon's  Station. 

In  1851  the  Reformed  Congrcpation  built  a  church  on  the  old 
Martinsville  road  to  Fayelteville.  on  the  upper  Alamance,  and 
named  it  Mt.  Hope.  This  conprep^ation  after  the  Civil  War  grew 
to  be  the  stronijest  church  numercially,  numberinp;  over  425  mem- 
bers. Rev.  G.  W'm.  Welker  was  its  pastor  for  forty-six  successive 
years. 

(It  has  been  impossible  to  ^et  the  history  of  all  the  churches.) 


132  GUIIFCRD  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    TOWNS    OF    GUILFORD. 

The  principal  towns  of  Guilford  County  are  Greensboro  and 
High  Point.  Those  who  travel  say  that  in  no  part  of  the  country, 
North  or  West,  are  there  greater  signs  of  growth  and  industrial 
development. 

GREENSBORO. 

Greensboro,  the  County  seat  of  Guilford,  has  a  population  of 
about  twenty-two  thousand.  Situated  on  a  plateau,  slightly  in- 
clined toward  the  sunrise,  is  Greensboro,  Queen  of  Piedmont  Caro- 
lina. Surrounded  by  beautiful,  undulating  fields  covered  with 
soft  Japanese  clover,  bufifalo  grass  and  abundant  wild  flowers, 
she  is  called  the  "City  of  Flowers."  Once  this  section  was  prairie, 
it  is  said,  but  there  are  now  tall  oaks,  poplars  and  elms  of  such 
strength  and  size  as  to  suggest  the  forest  primeval.  Greensboro, 
the  Gate  City,  is  the  open  door  of  transportation  between  North 
and  South.  This  advantage  alone  would  have  made  her  strong 
industrially.  Her  hotels  are  famous.  Her  people  are  kind,  cul- 
tured and  hospitable.  Her  health  is  perfect.  Greensboro,  City  of 
Flowers,  Garden  of  Roses,  Abode  of  the  Birds,  is  the  centre  of 
Guilford  County. 

In  1909  Greensboro  will  see  her  centennial.  One  lucky  Fri- 
day morning  in  May,  1809,  the  Court  of  Guilford  County  was 
removed  from  Martinsville  to  the  centre  of  the  county,  Greensboro. 
From  the  Court  Records,  1809,  is  the  following: 

■'At  a  County  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  begun  and  held 
for  the  County  of  Guilford  at  the  Courthouse  in  the  town  of  Martinsville 
on  the  third  Monday  of  May,  1809,  it  being  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month. 


Cdl..  w  .    n.  r)SI!()UN'. 
iii:.\(>()i-  Ki:i:i,i;v  instititk  in  north  cakoi.ina. 

MAYOR   OK   CRKKNSIIOKO. 


XOI^ni  C.lR()lJ.\'.l.  188 

"The  Esquires  present  were  Joliii  Starratt,  H.  lUirrow.  R.iddy  Hannar, 
Jonathan  Parker,  Obadiah  Anthony. 

"Court  adjourned  from  the  town  of  Martinsville  to  the  town  of 
C.rccnsboro  to  meet  at  to  o'clock  Friday. 

"According  to  adjournment  the  court  met  Friday.  19  May,  i8og,  at 
('.reensboro,  for  the  first  time." 

Tlic  Judfjjcs  present  at  this  first  court  held  in  Oeensboro 
were  Joliii  Starratt,  Jonathan  Parker,  Joseph  Harnett.  John  Gul- 
lett,  George  Swain,  John  McAdcx)  and  E.  Hurrow. 

When  Greensboro  was  made  the  chief  town  of  Caiilford 
C.nntv.  Raleigh,  as  the  capital  of  the  State,  was  still  very  young; 
Wilmington  was  possibly  a  month's  journey  distant;  Fayetteville, 
the  chief  trade  centre  for  Piedmont  North  Carolina;  and  Hills- 
boro.  almost  royal  in  its  degree  of  aristocracy.  The  great  high- 
way between  Salisbury  and  Hillsboro,  leading  by  the  little  town 
of  Greensboro,  was  traversed  by  the  stage  coach,  not  hourly,  as 
the  trains  pass  today,  but  a  lumbering  stage  coach  drawn  by 
six  horses.  A  daily  newspaper  was  something  undreamed  of, 
Init  unconsciously  the  stage  coach  driver  fulfilled  the  functions  of 
newsmonger  as  well  as  engineer,  conductor,  baggage  master  and 
expounder  of  the  law  and  Constitution. 

The  University  of  North  Carolina,  established  in  1796,  was 
not  very  old  wh.en  Greensboro  became  a  town.  The  first  degree 
conferred  by  that  scat  of  learning  was  upon  a  Guilford  man,  Dr. 
David  Caldwell. 

Kven  the  United  States  had  not  grown  old  enough  to  feel 
its  importance  in  the  world.  Boston  was  a  town  of  much  beer, 
rather  than  much  learning.  Fulton's  first  steamboat  was  only 
two  years  old.  The  spirit  of  Young  America  was  just  an.sing  up. 
Did  the  citizen  of  Greensboro  go  to  Washington  then  he  might 
sec  Thomas  Jefferson  retiring  from  the  President's  chair.  William 
Henry  Harrison  was  fighting  Tecumseh.  The  map  of  the  United 
States  looked  very  different  from  the  map  of  the  same  territory  at 
the  pre-sent.  Scientific  study  was  only  beginning.  Darwin,  Tyn- 
dall  and  Huxley  had  not  yet  begun  their  wonderful  work.     In 


134  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

fact,  the  city  of  Greensboro  be^^an  with  the  beginning  of  a  cen- 
tury, greatest  in  the  civiHzation  of  the  Germanic  race. 

The  People's  Savings  Bank  of  Greensboro,  N.  C,  the  first  mutual 
savings  bank  ever  organized  in  North  CaroHna,  and  at  present  the  oldest 
bank  m  Greensboro,  opened  its  doors  for  business  on  July  2nd,  1887.  Its 
organization  was  effected  by  many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  city,  to 
provide  a  safe  and  convenient  place  of  deposit  and  interest  for  persons  of 
small  means,  and  to  aid  and  encourage  the  youth  and  the  industrious  to 
save  a  portion  of  their  earnings  for  a  period  of  life  when  through  sickness 
or  misfortune  or  as  capital  for  business  they  might  need  it.  Its  first  set  of. 
ofiicers  was :  President,  J.  M.  Winstead ;  Vice-Presidents,  Prof.  W.  F. 
Steele,  J.  A.  Odell  and  J.  H.  Harris;  Treasurer,  Samuel  L.  Trogdon;  Sec- 
retary. H.  H.  Cartland ;  Attorney,  Robert  M.  Douglas.  At  the  close  of  the 
first  year  the  deposits  of  the  bank  had  run  up  to  $27,300,  since  which  time 
they  have  gradually  increased  until  for  the  last  six  months  the  average 
deposits  have  lieen  about  $200,000.  Among  its  leading  organizers.  Judge 
Robert  P.  Dick,  J.  M.  Winstead  and  H.  H.  Cartland  have  passed  away,  but 
the  work  is  still  being  carried  on  by  others,  as  hundreds  of  its  depositors 
can  testify,  who  have  been  enabled  through  its  advantages  to  provide  homes 
for  themselves  and  families.  Its  depositors  now  number  more  than 
twenty-six  hundred,  scattered  throughout  the  Piedmont  section  of  the  State. 
Its  present  officers  are :  President,  J.  W.  Scott;  Vice-President,  J.  A.  Odell ; 
Treasurer,  J.  Ad.  Hodgin ;  Assistant  Treasurer,  L.  M.  H.  Reynolds ;  Secre- 
tary, Samuel  L   Trogdon;  Attorney,  R.  D.  Douglas. 

The  Greensboro  Loan  and  Trust  Company  was  organized  on  July  19th, 
1899.  Following  is  a  list  of  officers  and  directors:  President,  J.  W.  Fry; 
Vice-President,  J.  S.  Cox;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  W.  E.  Allen;  Direc- 
tors, J.  A.  Odell,  R.  M.  Rees,  Geo.  S.  Sergeant,  R.  R.  King,  J.  S.  Cox,  J.  C. 
Bishop,  W.  L.  Grissom,  W.  D.  McAdoo,  R.  P.  Gray;  John  Gill,  Baltimore, 
Md.;  W.  H.  Watkins,  Ramseur,  N.  C. ;  O.  R.  Cox,  Cedar  Falls,  N.  C. ; 
W.  F.  Williams,  Red  Springs,  N.  C. ;  J.  A.  Hadley,  Mount  Airy,  N.  C. ; 
S.  Bryant,  Randleman,  N.  C. ;  J.  Elwood  Cox,  High  Point,  N.  C. ;  J.  W. 
Fry.  The  company  does  a  general  banking  business;  acts  as  receiver, 
fustee,  guardian,  executor  and  administrator  of  estates;  runs  a  savings 
department  m  which  4  per  cent,  interest  is  allowed  on  deposits  remaining 
three  full  months ;  has  a  fire-  and  burglar-proof,  steel-lined  safe  deposit 
vault,  where  safe  deposit  boxes  are  rented  and  chests  of  valuables  are  kept. 

The  City  National  Bank  was  organized  January  20,  1899,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $100,000,  and  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the  Piedmont  Bank,  which 
had  been  doing  business  in  Greensboro  for  about  ten  years  previous  to  that 


MU.    W  .    II.    KACAN, 
II  I'. 11    rolNT,   N.   C. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  136 

time.  The  Piedmont  Bank  was  organized  by  ex-Governor  A.  M.  Scales, 
who  was  its  first  president,  and  served  the  bank  in  that  capacity  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  on  February  0.  1H92.  He  was  succeeded  by  Col.  J.  M. 
Winstead.  who  from  the  organization  of  the  bank  and  at  that  time  was 
cashier.  .  The  tirst  Board  of  Directors  was  composed  of  e.\-C.overnor 
vScales.  J.  A.  Odell.  J.  M.  Winstead.  Lawrence  S.  Holt  and  Samuel  L.  Trog- 
don.  On  August  23.  l8f4,  the  bank  suffered  the  loss  of  its  president.  Col. 
Winstead,  he  having  died  suddenly,  and  in  tlie  following  September  J.  M. 
Walker  was  elected  to  this  p«i.sition.  As  stated  before,  the  Piedmont  Bank 
went  ouf.  of  business  in  January.  1899,  and  was  succeeded  by  tlic  City 
National  Bank.  The  new  bank  commenced  growing  immediately  and  in 
two  years  had  more  than  doubled  its  business.  The  surplus  fund  of  the 
bank  at  present  is  $,?o,ooo,  all  accumulated  since  the  organization  of  the 
bank,  besides  having  paid  the  stockholders  over  $12,000  in  dividends.  The 
present  ofticers  of  the  bank  are:  President,  J.  M.  Walker;  Vice-President, 
J.  \'an  Lindley;  Cashier,  Lee  H.  Battle.  The  Board  of  Directors  is  com- 
posed of  the  following  well-known  business  men  of  Greensboro:  J.  C. 
Bishop,  president  of  the  Merchant  Grocery  Co. ;  Jas.  A.  Hodgin,  treasurer 
of  the  People's  Savings  Bank;  R.  H.  Brooks,  of  the  Odell  Hardware  Co.; 
Dr.  Dred  Peacock,  president  of  tlie  Greensboro  Female  College;  Mr.  J. 
\'an  Lindley.  president  of  the  Lindley  Nursery  Co.,  and  Mr.  J.  M.  Walker, 
president  of  the  bank. 

lll(;il   POINT. 

His:h  Point  is  a  thrifty  town  of  six  thousand  inhahitants, 
situated  on  the  Raleigh  and  Charlotte  road.  Six  miles  to  the  west 
is  Thotnasville.  a  smaller  town,  but  larijc  industrially,  as  if  it.  too, 
had  caught  the  spirit  of  work  from  its  hustling  neighbor.  Within 
a  few  miles  of  High  Point  is  the  Orphanage  of  the  great  Mission- 
ary Baptist  denomination  of  North  Carolina. 

High  Point  is  the  centre  of  the  furniture  business  in  North 
Carolina  and  the  South.  It  is  regarded  as  second  only  to  Grand 
Rapids.  Michigan.  Thirty  years  ago  High  Point  was  a  little  place, 
as  dead  industrially  as  a  town  could  be.  Dried  fruit  was  its  prin- 
cipal product.  In  1872  the  school  house  at  High  Point,  according 
t^Captain  Siiow,  was  a  little  log  hut  that  cost  less  than  twentv 
dollars.  The  seats  were  made  of  slab-boards  with  poles  stuck  in 
holes  for  legs.     Shingles  were  simply  laid  on  the  roof  and  held 


136  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

down  by  weights.  Instead  of  windows,  holes  in  the  wall  admitted 
the  light.  At  present  the  little  city  has  one  of  the  finest  graded 
schools  in  the  State,  in  a  beautiful  stone  building.  The  popula- 
tion numbers  five  thousand,  with  a  factory  for  every  one  hundred 
and  thirty-three  of  its  inhabitants.  The  many  northern  riien  who 
visit  this  section  and  Pinehurst  regard  High  Point  as  an  exceed- 
ingly busy  and  industrious  town,  and  its  development  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  anywhere.  Her  success  is  due  to  plain,  legiti- 
mate business.  Her  people  work.  High  Point  has  no  "dead 
elephants,"  no  wrangling.  A  spirit  of  co-operation  pervades  the 
place. 

To  what  then  is  due  this  remarkable  growth?  Given  a  man 
of  energy  and  knowledge  of  industry  in  the  presence  of  North 
Carolina  resources  and  much  will  be  accomplished. 

Captain  W.  H.  Snow  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  father  of 
High  Point.  He  is  the  pioneer  in  the  State  in  the  manufacture 
of  shuttle  blocks,  spokes  and  handles.  He  brought  into  the  State 
the  first  Blanchard  lathe  and  band  saw  operated  in  North  Carolina. 
The  standing  timber  in  Randolph,  Davidson  and  Guilford  counties 
determined  Captain  Snow's  location  at  High  Point.  Our  people 
had  no  idea  of  the  wealth  that  was  before  them  in  sight.  Captain 
Snow  called  out  the  latent  energy  to  develop  these  resources. 

Captain  W.  H.  Snow  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ver- 
mont, in  1825.  In  response  to  the  call  to  arms  by  President 
Lincoln,  Captain  Snow  responded  and  arrived  in  Washington 
City  from  New  England  among  the  first  troops.  He  was  in  the 
first  battle  of  the  Civil  War  with  the  Sixth  Regiment  from  ]\Iassa- 
chusetts.  So  when  he  came  to  Guilford  County  at  the  close  of 
the  war  the  odds  were  against  him.  The  people  regarded  with 
suspicion  a  Yankee,  as  if  he  were  seeking  his  own  good  at  their 
expense,  but  at  length  Captain  Snow  won  the  lasting  high  regard 
of  our  people.  For  seven  times  he  has  been  elected  mayor  of  High 
Point,  by  all  the  people. 

His  work  in  industrial  life  of  North  Carolina  has  been  an 


MU.    I.   Kl.WOOl)  COX, 
H  11.11    I'OINT,   N.   C. 


A'OA'77/  CAROUX.l.  l-"i7 

important  factor.  In  i8(.7  he  sent  a  sintjic  barrel  of  persinunon 
shuttle  blocks  to  Mr.  IC.  .A.  Thissell.  of  Lowell.  Massachusetts,  the 
first  sent  from  the  South,  as  an  experiment.  Hitherto  shuttle 
blocks  were  made  of  apple  trees.  Captain  Snow  discovered  that 
persimmon,  dogwood  and  hickory  timber  had  a  commercial  value. 
Men  came  ten  miles  to  sec  the  man  who  was  such  a  fool  as  to  pay 
money  for  dogwood.  In  1S72  he  went  to  High  Toiiit  and  built  its 
tirst  factory  working^  in  wood.  Soon  this  was  burned,  and  ho 
fiuuvl  himself  four  hundred  dollars  poorer  than  wluii  lie  began 
business.    I'pon  borrowed  money  without  security  he  began  again. 

Captam  Snow  says:  "If  any  man  is  able  to  say  that  a  good 
name  is  capital.  I  am  the  man."  For  fifteen  years  he  was  the 
busiest  man  in  the  countrv.  For  some  time  all  the  wood  business 
in  High  Point  was  under  his  management.  lUit  suddenly  the 
energy  of  the  people  "broke  loose,"  and  then  High  Point  became 
one  of  the  greatest  examples  of  intlustrial  workmanshij).  Captain 
Snow's  son.  Mr.  F.  A.  Snow,  and  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  J.  Flwood 
Cox.  entered  work  with  him ;  now  in  his  old  age  they  have  taken 
the  burden  of  his  business,  which  has  many  times  doubled  itself. 

Captain  Snow  is  a  remarkable  man.  He  is  a  genius  in  indus- 
trial development.  He  went  to  Australia  to  better  his  fortune  in 
early  life  and  built  the  first  telegraph  system  south  of  the  ec|uator 
for  the  Colony  of  \  ictoria,  from  Melbourne  to  Sydney,  in  Aus- 
tralia. With  his  knowledge  of  people  all  over  the  world  he  says 
the  Xorth  Carolina  type  of  character  has  as  high  a  sense  of  honor 
and  integrity  and  perhai)s  the  best  of  any  people  on  earth. 

Mr.  J.  Flwood  Cox  purchased  from  Captain  Snow  the  plant 
for  manufactiinng  spokes  and  handles,  shuttle  blocks  and  bobbins. 
Gradually  the  business  has  increased  until  these  mills  are  dotted 
over  Xorth  Carolina,  and  the  South  as  well.  Mr.  Cox  received 
his  education  at  Guilford  College,  Xorth  Carolina,  and  at  Farlham 
College.  Indiana.  He  is  j)resitlent  of  the  Globe-Home  Furniture  ) 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  largest  industry  of  the  kind  in  the 
.^outli.  having  a  capital  stork  .-t'  ..n.-  hundred  and  fiftv  thousand  ' 


138  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

dollars.  He  sells  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  shuttle  blocks  of  the 
world. 

In  June,  1891,  Mr.  Cox  was  elected  president  of  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  at  its  organization,  and  still  holds  that 
responsible  position,  lending  his  energy  and  business  skill  to  its 
successful  operation.  Mr.  Cox  is  connected  also  with  many  of 
the  industries  of  High  Point,  and  is  a  fine  type  of  North  Carolina 
manhood.  He  is  much  interested  in  the  "History  of  Guilford 
County." 

Another  one  of  the  best  business  men  of  this  "Hub  of  the 
Furniture  and  Wood  Business  in  the  South"  is  Mr.  W.  H.  Ragan. 
Mr.  Ragan  was  born  in  Randolph  County,  one  of  the  daughter- 
counties  of  Old  Mother  Guilford.  Early  in  life  he  came  to  Guil- 
ford and  began  farming  and  merchandising  nine  miles  southeast 
of  Greensboro,  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  Before  the  Civil  War  he 
went  to  Franklinsville,  N.  C,  where  he  learned  the  cotton  manu- 
facturing business.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Guil- 
ford, entering  into  the  mercantile  business  of  the  firm  "Pleasants, 
Ragan  &  Co.,"  afterward  the  "Ragan,  Millis  Co.,"  of  High  Point. 

"Tell  something  of  Mr.  Ragan's  work  in  Guilford  County, 
please?"  asked  the  author  of  a  certain  book  on  North  Carolina. 

"Something  of  Mr.  Ragan's  work?  Well,  I'd  like  to  know 
what  line  of  honorable  business  he  is  not  engaged  in,"  responded 
the  well-informed  business  man  of  Greensboro.  Then,  more 
kindly,  "Mr.  W.  H.  Ragan  is  one  of  the  most  public  spirited 
county  commissioners  of  this  State.  I  believe  he  will  send  a  copy 
of  that  history  of  Guilford  County  to  every  county  commissioner 
in  the  State  and  to  every  public  library  in  North  Carolina.  But 
to  tell  you,  lady,  something  of  his  work.  He  is  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Eagle  Furniture  Company,  president  of  the  Oak- 
dale  Cotton  Mill  at  Jamestown,  president  of  the  Southern  Chair 
Company,  director  in  National  Bank  of  High  Point ;  director 
in  National  Bank  of  Greensboro,  director  in  Wachovia  Loan 
and  Trust  Company  of  Winston,  treasurer  of  the  High  Point 


NORTH  C.-lROLIX.l.  >:^« 

llanlwaro  Company.  He  lias  licUl  important  positions  in  the  city 
i>t  Hiijh  Point  ami  is  an  export  in  banking:  business."  More  than 
this  still  I  have  learned.  Mr.  Rapan  is  a  pood  Methodist,  a  man 
of  tine  taste  and  education,  exemplifyintj  in  life  the  j::olden  mien. 

Iliijh  Point  is  the  head  of  a  triangle  made  by  Deep  River. 
This  town  is  remarkable  for  its  soberness,  piety,  business  and 
thrift.  The  city  has  never  luul  a  bar-room  or  saloon:  only  one 
murder  case  in  all  its  history,  and  this  was  an  imported  affair; 
everybody  works  in  Ilij^h  Point;  everybody  there  has  a  Rood 
livini:^  and.  judging  from  the  beautiful  homes  and  other  new  build- 
inc:s  going:  "P.  everyone  has  plenty  of  money  to  lay  by.  To  Quaker 
influence  and  ancestry  this  city  owes  these  pronounced  character- 
istics. Moralitv,  soberness,  living:  within  one's  income,  thrift  and 
love  of  work  arc  Quaker  attributes,  the  inheritance  of  the  youth  of 
High  Point,  better  than  grandure,  better  than  gold.  The  yearly 
meeting  of  Friends  has  been  held  in  this  town  in  August  for  years, 
this  is  the  North  Carolina  city  of  good-will,  of  brotherly  love. 

In  a  town  such  as  this  all  its  citizens  are  people  of  beauty 
and  strength  of  character.  When  none  stands  up  as  a  type  above 
his  fellows  it  is  a  token  of  special  energy.  When  one  writes,  it  is 
a  duty  to  tell  the  truth,  the  truth  creative,  which  can  help  some 
other  to  lift  up  his  heart  and  take  good  courage.  The  real  success 
of  one  good  man  is  an  inspiration  to  many  another.  The  real  suc- 
cess of  a  whole  city  full  is  a  great  inspiration  to  very  many  people. 
I  like  people  who  have  done  something.  I  like  people  who  do 
things.  For  the  sake  of  young  people  just  now  struggling,  fight- 
ing life's  battles  that  shall  place  them  firmly,  I  like  to  tell  of  the 
success  of  other  people,  our  own  kin,  they  are;  and  work  like 
theirs  will  gain  recognition  at  last ;  victory  is  indigenous  in  every 
real  effort.  There  is  no  failure.  Failure  is  like  sin,  a  deformity. 
Our  successful  men  have  all  had  their  struggles. 

Another  one  of  Guilford  County's  successful  men,  and  a 
resident  of  High  Point,  is  Mr.  J.  H.  Millis.  He  began  life  as  a 
salesman  for  the  Worth  &  Walker  Comi)any  of  .Xsheboro.     Later 


140  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

he  came  to  Greensboro  to  the  firm  of  Odell,  Ragan  &  Co.,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  He  became  afterward  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Ragan,  Millis  &  Co.,  now  under  the  name  of  W.  H.  Ragan 
&  Co..  of  High  Point.  Mr.  IMiUis  is  largely  interested  in  the  furni- 
ture and  wood  business  in  High  Point.  For  ten  years  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  for  Guilford 
County. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Lindsay  is  a  citizen  of  High  Point  who  has  gained 
for  himself  an  honorable  name  in  the  business  world  as  an  indus- 
trial leader.  The  Lindsay  Chair  Company  was  organized  in  J\Iay, 
1900;  this  company  manufactures  rocking  chairs,  diners,  making 
twenty-five  dozen  chairs  per  day.  Mr.  Lindsay  is  also  president 
of  the  Union  Furniture  Company  of  High  Point,  which  manu- 
factures suites  beautifully  finished  in  golden  oak. 

The  High  Point  IMantel  and  Table  Company  was  incorpor- 
ated March  15.  1900,  with  Messrs.  E.  M.  Armfield,  A.  M.  Rankin, 
Wescott  Roberson  as  incorporators.  This  company  makes  hat 
racks,  tables  and  kitchen  safes.  These  goods  find  a  great  market 
all  over  the  South  and  Southwestern  States. 

The  only  complete  upholstering  business  in  North  Carolina  is 
f  High  Point  Upholstering  Co.,  which  was  organized  in  1895  by 
\  Messrs.  T.  T.  Wrenn,  J.  J.  Welch,  P.  V.  Kirkman.  In  fact,  this 
is  the  only  establishment  South  making  handsome  overstufl^ed 
parlor  suites  and  pulpit  and  lodge  furniture.  Their  Morris  chairs 
are  very  beautiful  and  delightfully  comfortable.  Their  leather- 
bound  rockers  are  especially  elegant.  They  make  felt  and  hair 
mattresses  also. 

The  Southern  Chair  Company  was  incorporated  in  1896  by 
W.  H.  Ragan,  J.  A.  Lindsay,  J.  J.  Welch,  E.  A.  Snow,  R.  F.  Dal- 
ton  and  others,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $24,000.  In  1898  Mr.  W. 
H.  Ragan  resigned  as  secretary  and  Mr.  S.  L.  Davis  was  elected 
his  successor.  This  company  makes  arm  chairs,  rocking  chairs 
and  dining  chairs.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  ot 
North  Carolina. 


S      \ni'|;\r\     ii.i;   i.m;i  \M!UKU,    N.   C. 


NORrn  C.IROUXA.  m 

Th'-  \  ictor  Chair  Company  wa-^  ort^anizc-d  March  21,  1901, 
with  Mr.  S.  L.  Davis  as  i^residcnt,  Mr.  \V.  H.  RaK^in  as  vice- 
lircsiileiit  and  Mr.  Harvey  l^avis  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
name  "\ict(M-"  was  <Tiven  it  hy  the  secretary  in  honor  of  his 
friend.  Mr.  \  ictor  Cl:i\  MeAdoo.  of  Greensboro.  The  \ictor 
Chair  Comi)any  makes  a  specialty  of  children's  chairs,  all  j.;rades 
and  designs.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  University  of  North  Carolina  student 
of  the  class  of  i8<;<;. 

The  Tomlinson  Chair  Factory  was  estahlislud  in  i«;(ki  by  Mr. 
1  lalstead  Tomlinson. 

The  Welch  Furniture  Company  l)ei;an  business  in  1900.  with 
Messrs.  W.  P.  Picket,  president;  R.  1>.  Strickland,  vice-president; 
I.  W.  Harris,  secretary  and  treasurer.  They  manufacture  oak 
and  parlor  chamber  suites.  chitToniers.  odd  dressers,  folding  beds. 
Xo  other  factory  in  this  State  makes  folding  beds.  This  very 
successful  business  yields  an  output  of  $icx),C)00  yearly. 

The  youngest  manufacturer  of  High  Point,  the  boy  manufac- 
turer of  Xorth  Carolina,  is  Mr.  \Villie.E.  Snow,  who  in  1899  took 
in  hand  the  business  of  the  Snow  Basket  Company — the  only 
basket  factory  in  the  State.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Captain  Snow, 
the-  father  of  the  furniture  manufacturing  business  in  Xorth  Caro- 
lina, and  inherits  much  of  his  grandfather's  genius  for  work.  The 
Snow  baskets  are  sold  to  the  tobacco  men  of  Wilson,  Durham, 
Henderson,  Oxford,  Winston,  Rocky  Mt.,  Greeneville.  Snow 
ba'^kets  are  used  by  the  cotton  growers  of  the  eastern  and  southern 
section;  the  truckers  of  Mt.  Olive,  Faison,  Kinston  and  all  along 
the  A.  C.  L.  buy  the  Snow  basket. 

The  oldest  furniture  plant  in  High  I'oint  was  established  in 
1888  by  Mr.  Wrenn.  The  first  piece  of  furniture  made  in  High 
Point  is  a  desk  in  the  office  of  the  High  Point  Furniture  Company. 
This  company  has  an  average  shipment  of  one  carload  per  dav, 
sending  its  suites  of  furniture  all  over  the  country. 

Green  logs  arc  brought  to  High  Point  from  the  forest.<?  primc- 
--■!  ot  Guilford,  Davidson.  Randolph  and  elsewhere.    This  timber 


142  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

is  made  into  the  highest  grade  of  furniture,  coffins,  chairs,  suites, 
etc.,  to  the  finest  wood  workmanship. 

SKETCHES  OF  FA^IILIES  OF  GUILFORD. 
The  McAdoo  Family  and  their  Connections. 

By  Victor  Clay  McAdoo. 

Dr.  Caruthers,  speaking  of  the  Scotch-Irish,  says :  "Combin- 
ing the  inteUigence,  orthodoxy  and  piety  of  the  Scotch  with  the 
order  and  love  of  hberty  pecuhar  to  the  Irish,  they  were  the  most 
efficient  supporters  of  the  American  cause  during  the  struggle  for 
independence;  and  they  have  done  more  for  the  support  of  learn- 
ing, morality  and  religion  than  any  other  class  of  people." 

Along  with  the  first  settlers  of  that  noble  race  in  this  County 
came  James  and  John  ]\IcAdoo,  and  a  little  later,  their  sister, 
Nellie.  They  came  via  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  were  prompted  to 
leave  home  because  their  father,  William,  had  married  a  second 
time,  against  their  wishes.  Upon  their  arrival  in  this  section  they 
took  up  large  grants  of  land  near  Alamance  Church,  and  settled 
there  and  reared  large  families.  Nellie  ]\lcAdoo  married  John 
Ryan  and  among  her  children  was  William  Ryan,  who  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  battles  of  Raft's  Swamp  and  Wetzel's  Mill, 
and  represented  Guilford  County  in  the  Legislature  of  1816-1817- 
1818.  Dr.  Caruthers  speaks  of  him  as  "one  of  our  most  upright 
and  estimable  citizens."  Nellie  McAdoo  Ryan  died  at  the  age  of 
105  years,  and  is  buried  at  Buffalo  Church. 

John  McAdoo  was  granted,  in  1759,  640  acres  near  Alamance 
Church,  and  he  and  his  wife,  Ellen  Nelson  McAdoo,  had  among 
their  children,  David  McAdoo,  Samuel  INIcAdoo,  John,  W^illiam 
and  James  McAdoo.  Samuel  IMcAdoo,  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen 
Nelson  AlcAdoo,  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  April  10,  1760, 
and  educated  at  Mecklenburg  College,  and  married  Henrietta 
Wheatfey.  He  moved  with  his  brother-in-law,  John  Larkins,  and 
James  McAdoo's  wife  and  children  to  Dickson  County,  Tennessee, 


NORTH  C.IROLINA.  143 

Nvliore  John  Larkins  hail  hccn  fjrantetl.  with  his  brother  HuK'h,  two 
tliousand  acres  of  land  by  North  Carolina  for  their  conspicuous 
services  durinp:  the  Revolutionary  War.  Samuel  McAdoo  became 
a  minister  of  ijreat  distinction,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  which  was  organized  by 
him  and  associates  at  his  house  in  Dickson  County,  in  1810. 
He  died  in  Illinois,  March  30.  1844,  leaving  two  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

James  Mc.\doo  married  Margaret  Houston,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Mary,  Sarah,  Dorcas  and  Martha,  John,  William.  David 
and  Ezra.  James  Mc.\doo  died  in  1800.  and  his  wife,  with  her 
children,  moved  to  Dickson  County,  Tennessee.  Mary  McAdoo 
married  James  Larkins,  Sarah  married  Houston,  and  Dorcas  mar- 
ried Xesbitt. 

John  Mc.Kdoo  married  Hannah  McXeiley.  and  was  a  trustee 
of  Dicki^on  County  for  fourteen  years.  His  brother,  David,  was 
sheriff  of  the  county  for  six  years.  Among  their  children  were 
John,  Hugh  and  James  McAdoo.  James  now  lives  at  W'averly, 
Tenn,  and  is  the  oldest  elder  in  the  Cumberland  Prcsbvtcrian 
Church  there,  and  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  that  county. 

John  M.  McAdoo  is  the  Judge  of  the  County  Court  at  W'av- 
erly, Tennessee,  was  a  captain  in  the  late  war,  and  several  times 
represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature,  and  is  now  a  ruling  elder 
in  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

Hugh  ^L  McAdoo  was  born  in  Dickson  Couirty  in  1838,  and 
was  educated  for  a  lawyer.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  late  wai, 
several  times  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Humphreys  County, 
and  was  in  1876  elected  to  the  Senate,  being  chosen  its  Speaker. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  legal  ability.  He  died  in  1894.  The 
descendants  of  James  McAdoo  in  Tennessee  are  now  among  the 
state's  foremost  citizens,  and  they  are  now  residing  in  many  of  the 
Western  States.  Some  of  those  who  have  attained  prominence 
and  are  descendants  of  the  McAdoo  family  are  Samuel  J.  Keith,  a 
banker;  Dr.  William  Morrow,  a  prominent  physician,  and  Rev. 


144  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

J.  H.  IMcXeilly,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  a  prominent  Presbyterian 
minister:  also  the  late  Prof.  William  G.  McAdoo,  of  the  University 
of  Tennessee,  at  Knoxville,  and  Capt.  Brantley  McAdoo,  of  Texas. 

James  McAdoo  married  and  had  David,  Samuel,  John,  James 
and  William,  Margaret  and  Jean,  and  granddaughter  Ann  Boyd. 
He  died  in  1802  at  94  years  of  age,  and  is  buried  at  Alamance 
Church. 

Capt.  John  McAdoo  was  a  reckless  fighter  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  was  nicknamed  "Devil  John."  He  was  killed  in 
the  battle  of  Raft's  Swamp,  and  Caruthers  says  his  death  "was 
greatly  lamented  as  a  man  of  tried  firmness  and  dauntless  cour- 
age." 

William  McAdoo  fought  at  Wetzel's  Mill,  and  rode  up  almost 
imder  the  guns  of  the  British,  and  drew  his  wounded  companion, 
Shaw,  across  his  saddle  and  carried  him  off  the  field.  William 
McAdoo  moved  to  Tennessee,  and  his  children  and  grandchildren 
acquired  large  estates  in  Gibson  County,  and  one  of  his  grand- 
sons was  a  captain  under  the  command  of  General  X.  B.  Forrest 
in  the  late  war. 

I\Iy  great-grandfather,  David  McAdoo,  was  born  December 
7,  1760,  and  married  Elizabeth  Nicks,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Nicks,  of  Guilford  County.  They  resided  on  the  old 
family  estate  near  Alamance  Church,  and  conducted  a  large  farm, 
Elizabeth  Nicks  was  the  daughter  of  George  Nicks,  who  was  one 
of  the  largest  land  owners  north  of  the  city,  and  they  lived  in 
excellent  style  for  those  days.  Their  children  were :  Calvin  Nicks, 
Pleasant,  Albert  Y.,  John,  Asynath  and  Elizabeth. 

Albert  Y.  McAdoo  graduated  at  the  University,  and  became 
a  practicing  physician,  and  died  at  thirty-four  years  of  age,  ]\Iay 
28,  1849. 

Asynath  McAdoo  died  May  27,  1849.  at  the  age  of  forty-two, 
never  having  married. 

John  McAdoo  lived  in  Greensboro,  and  was  engaged  in 
business.  He  never  married,  and  died  March  2^,  1872,  age  fifty- 
four  years. 


NOKTll  C.lROU.\.l.  146 

Pleasant  McAdoo  luarricl  l-.uphrasia  Gilchrist,  who  was  a 
pranddauijhter  of  Wilhaiu  Kvan.  who  married  his  cousin.  Jean 
McAdoo.  and  of  their  children.  Adolphus  married  Kmma  lievill, 
and  died  at  twenty-three  years  of  aj^e.  July  i8,  1875.  leavini,'  one 
son.  Adolphus  McAdoo.  who  now  resides  in   Xew  York. 

IClla  Dora  McAdoo  married  William  Iv  lievill.  and  died 
Decemher  28.  1880.  at  the  ai;e  of  twenty-five  years,  leavint?  one 
dau.irhter,  Dora  lievill. 

Alhert  McAdoo  manird  Xantiie  Summers,  and  left  at  his 
death  in  1901  four  small  children:  Urantley  McAdoo  resides  with 
his  mother,  and  has  never  married.  Elizaheth  McAdoo  married 
Col.  John  Milton  Cunnin.q:ham.  and  resided  ahout  five  miles  north- 
cast  of  Greenshoro.  and  had  three  children  :  .Aut^usta  and  Lenora, 
who  both  died  leavinij  no  chihlren.  at  the  atj:e  of  twenty-two 
years. 

James  Milton  Cunninp^ham  married  Rettie  Jones,  a  dauL^hter 
of  Harriet  Keen  and  Decanter  Jones,  of  Pittsylvania  County,  \'ir- 
!:::i!iia.  He  died  in  1881.  and  left  five  children.  He  was  a  very 
popular  man  and  held  in  the  hi,i,diest  esteem  by  his  friends  and  was 
at  the  time  of  his  death  sheriff  of  this  county.  Ilie  Cunningham 
family  were  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  section,  and  were  relateil  to 
the  old  Patrick  family,  who  were  very  large  land  owners  on  Haw 
River.  Matthew  Cunningham,  a  member  of  the  family,  was  for 
years  one  of  the  county  justices,  and  Col.  John  M.  Cunningham 
was.  at  the  time  of  his  death,  a  very  large  land  owner  and  slave 
holder.  John  Cunningham,  a  member  of  the  family,  was  granted 
by  Lord  Granville  640  acres  in  this  county  in  1753. 

Calvin  Xicks  McAdoo,  my  grandfather,  was  born  on  the  old 
family  estate  near  Alamance  Church,  October  22,  180),  and  at- 
tended Caldwell  Institute  in  Greensboro,  and  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  here  after  leaving  the  Institute.  He  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  cousin,  David  Scott,  and  the  firm  of  Scott  & 
McAdoo  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  business  here.  He  was 
married  to  Isabella  McConnell,  the  only  daughter  of  Col.  Walter 


148  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

McConnell  and  ^lartha  Peeples  McConnell,  March  7,  1839,  t^e 
ceremony  being  performed  at  the  McConnell  home,  four  miles 
east  of  Greensboro,  by  Rev.  EH  Cariithers.  Col.  Walter  ]\IcCon- 
nell  came  to  this  county  from  near  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  when  a  young 
man,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  conducted  several  large  tan- 
yards  in  this  and  adjoining  counties.  He  married  Martha,  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  Lewis  Peeples  and  Jane  Hicks  Peeples. 

David  Peeples,  father  of  Capt.  Lewis  Peeples,  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  in  this  county,  and  took  up  large  grants  of  land 
on  Jacob's  Creeek  and  Haw  River,  and  I  judge  from  the  number 
of  grants  recorded  in  this  county  to  him  that  he  must  have  been 
among  the  largest  land  owners  in  the  county. 

Capt.  Lewis  Peeples  inherited  a  great  deal  of  property  from 
his  father,  and  he  lived  in  style  and  luxury  for  those  days.  He 
was  born  December  22,  1760,  and  died  December  29,  1828,  and 
left  a  son,  Col.  Allen  Peeples,  who  was  a  man  of  prominence  in 
this  county  for  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1830,  1 83 1,  1832  and  1833,  and  married  Betsy  Braziel.  Capt.  P. 
A.  Peeples.  a  son  of  Col.  Allen  Peeples,  was  mortally  wounded 
at  Gaines'  Mills,  in  1862.  Another  son.  Dr.  Pinkney  Peeples,  was, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  president  of  the  National  Bank  at  Jack- 
son, Miss.  Col.  Allen  Peeples  left  here  before  the  War  with  his 
family,  and  went  to  ]\Iississippi,  where  his  children  married,  and 
are  prominent  people  in  that  State. 

Col.  Walter  McConnell  had  one  son,  Washington  McConnell, 
who  married  Mrs.  Garvin,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  they  had  two 
children,  Dr.  Charles  McConnell  and  Lola  McConnell  ^IcLeod, 
who  now  live  in  Boston,  JMass.  Col.  McConnell  built  for  his  son,  . 
Washington,  the  large  brick  storehouse  on  West  Market  Street 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  C.  C.  Gorrell,  and  built  a  home  for  him,  also, 
on  West  Market  Street,  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  M.  A.  Winstead. 

The  store  conducted  by  Washington  McConnell  was,  before 
the  War,  the  principal  store  in  Greensboro,  except  the  store  con- 
ducted on  East  Market  Street  by  my  grandfather,  C.  N.  McAdoo. 


SORTH  CAROLINA.  l« 

Washiiifjton  McConnoll  ilicd  in  St.  Louis,  October  21,  1865.  My 
grandfather.  Calvin  X.  McAiloo.  and  wife,  Isabella  McConnell 
McAdtx\  resided  at  their  home  at  the  corner  of  Gorrrell  and  Ashe- 
boro  Streets,  and  iheir  children  were:  WaUer  David,  born  Jan- 
uary 28.  1840;  Martha  Klizabcth.  born  May.  1842,  died  September 
20.  1843:  \'ictor  Clay,  born  March  25.  1845.  died  November  5, 
iS-8:  \Villiam  Calvin,  born  May  25,  1848,  died  April  8,  1878. 

Calvin  Xicks  McAdoo  was  for  years  the  most  successful 
merchant  in  this  county,  and  conducted  branch  stores  at  Madison 
and  Graham,  his  business  extending:  over  several  surrounding 
counties.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Greensboro 
National  r»ank,  and  a  director  in  it  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
ilietl  April  24.  1887.  and  left  one  of  the  largest  estates  in  the 
county.  "For  more  than  half  a  century  he  was  connected  with 
the  active  business  affairs  of  Greensboro  and  Guilford  County. 
He  was  scrupulously  correct  in  all  his  dealings  and  probably  had 
more  transactions  with  his  fellow-citizens  than  any  man  who  has 
lived  here.  His  strong  intellect  held  to  the  last.  His  was  a  busy 
life.  He  was  always  considerate  of  the  feelings  and  rights  of 
those  in  his  employ.  His  loss  will  be  keenly  felt  throughout  the 
county  and  many  will  sincerely  mouni  his  death.  One  more  of 
the  few  remaining  early  settlers  of  Greensboro  has  released  his 
grasp  on  this  world  and  passed  over  to  join  the  great  majority." 
C'Capt.  W.  S.  Bali  in  Greensboro  Xortli  State.) 

My  father,  \'ictor  Clay  McAdoo,  was  educated  at  Wilson's 
School  and  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  joined  Company 
I,  Fifth  North  Carolina  Cavalry,  Capt.  Nathaniel  Rankin,  Gor- 
don's Brigade,  Stuart's  Division,  Army  of  Northern  \'irginia,  and 

Note:  The  name  McAdoo  ha«  stood  for  much  in  the  commercial  life  of  C;uilford 
Countv.  It  has  been  like  a  business  backbone  in  Grcen>boro  since  the  founding  ol  the 
city.  \o  McAdoo  ever  failc<l  in  business,  or  failed  to  pay  a  debt,  or  to  make  money.  The 
McAdoos  love  real  estate  and  know  how  to  hold  on  to  it.  The  genuine  McAdoo'has  no 
fibre  of  stin|;iness  in  him.  but  "you  can't  hoodoo  a  McAdoo."'  I'hey  have  a  clearer  per- 
ception of  justice  than  some  folks,  and  have  a  way  of  recoifnizinf;  goo'd  in  others.  Met>srs. 
Victor  Clay  and  Thomas  J.  .McAdoo  have  belived  in  the  South  as  the  great  field  of  future 
literature.  .More  than  one  writer  of  rccnenition  can  take  otV  his  hat  to  these  men.  They 
love  the  old  North  State.  1  h«  McAdoo  family  have  some  pride  ot  race  and  sense  of  honor 
for  the  name  inherited  from  a  noble  line.     Honor  to  whom  honor  i*  due. 

Sali.ik  Walker  Stockard. 


148  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

was  in  the  battles  of  Ream's  Station,  Stoney  Creek  and  Yellow 
Tavern.  He  was  wounded  several  times  and  given  his  parole  in 
Virginia  at  the  close  of  the  War,  He  married  Nannie  Witcher 
Jones,  a  member  of  the  families  of  Jones,  Keenes  and  Witchers, 
of  Virginia.  They  have  three  sons,  Thomas  Jones,  Victor  Clay 
and  Calvin  Nicks. 

William  Calvin  AIcAdoo  was  educated  at  Wilson's  School, 
the  University  of  North  Carolina  and  Washington  and  Lee  Uni- 
versity, Virginia.  He  was  engaged  in  business  in  this  city  and 
died  at  thirty  years  of  age,  never  having  married. 

Walter  David  McAdoo  was  educated  at  Wilson's  School  and 
Dickinson  College,  Pennsylvania.  He  joined  the  army  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  W^ar  and  fought  bravely  till  severely  wounded 
at  Gettysburg,  on  which  field  he  was  commissioned  Major,  but 
never  was  able  to  accept  the  commission.  After  the  close  of  the 
War  he  married  Aliss  Josie  A.  Moore,  of  Virginia,  and  has  two 
children,  William  and  Mary. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  ARMFIELD  FAMILY. 

As  far  as  is  known,  all  the  Armfields  in  America  have  sprung 
from  the  same  source,  i.  e.,  from  English  Quakers  in  the  north  of 
England,  where  the  family  is  still  numerous.  And  although  the 
majority  of  them  have  drifted  away  from  the  old  church,  yet  they 
still  exhibit  many  Quaker  traits,  such  as  honesty,  thrift  and  sim- 
plicity. It  is  believed  that  they  are  of  Anglo-Saxon  stock,  judging 
from  the  name  and  from  the  florid  complexion  and  light  hair  of  the 
older  members  of  the  family  in  this  country.  But  the  name  is  now 
common  in  Sweden,  and  a  Count  \'on  Armfeldt  was  a  brilliant 
general  under  the  meteoric  Charles  XH.  of  Sweden.  (See  Enc. 
Britt.) 

The  original  John  Armfield,  from  whom  all  the  Armfields  of 
whom  we  know  were  descended,  was  born  in  the  north  of  England 
in  1695.  He  was  a  strict  Quaker  and  a  school-teacher  by  profes- 
sion.   He  and  his  young  wife  came  with  a  colony  of  Quaker  emi- 


r^^ 

J.    \V^■.\TT  AUMIIKF.D, 
HK.ll    I-DINT,   X.   C. 


.Vt)/v'77/  C.iROU.Wl.  149 

j^-rants  io  riiiladtlphia  in  171H.  Afterward  he  moved  to  Hucks 
Count V.  Pennsylvania,  wlure  he  houpjht  a  farm  and  taujjht  scIkxjI. 
He  had  tive  sons  and  three  dauj^'hters.  About  i-rK)  John  and  his 
oiliest  son.  William,  together  with  a  company  of  twenty  men  and 
thirty  horses,  came  to  North  Carolina  on  an  explorinj^  expedition. 
For  the  greater  part  of  the  way  they  traveled  throuj^h  dense  for- 
ests of  unpopuK^ted  country  and  located  in  Rowan  County,  now 
the  northern  part  of  Ciuilford.  This  proved  to  be  a  favored  sec- 
tion, as  there  were  no  Indian  settlements  in  this  particular  locality. 

This  band  of  ailvcnturers  avoided  the  Indians  as  much  as 
p<issible.  though  the  savages  did  not  seem  to  be  very  hostile  at 
that  time,  for  they  often  ran  off  and  slii)ped  away  from  the  white 
men.  These  emigrants  had  no  sources  of  living  except  game, 
wliich  was  found  in  large  quantities,  and  consisted  of  bear,  deer, 
buffalo,  wild  turkeys  and  squirrels.  Their  horses  fared  sumptu- 
ously on  the  grass  and  pea-vines  which  covered  every  spot  not 
covered  with  leaves.  There  was  no  undergrowth  at  that  time,  but 
the  whole  country  was  a  vast  forest  of  large  timber. 

Their  horses  were  herded  in  a  pen,  with  one  or  more  men  to 
guard  them.  This  pen  was  built  on  a  creek  which  therefore 
became  known  as  Horse-Pen  Creek.  The  Indians  once  endeavored 
to  stampede  their  horses,  but  failed.  However,  the  emigrants  be- 
came alarmed  anil  moved  their  camp  and  settled  on  Deep  River, 
at  a  point  near  the  present  Coltrane's  Mill.  Game  was  not  quite 
so  abundant  there,  but  the  river  furnished  quantities  of  fine  fish. 

Having  remained  in  North  Carolina  about  three  years,  they 
packed  up,  loadmg  some  of  the  extra  horses  with  furs,  dressed 
hides  and  a  few  relics,  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania. 

In  1765  John  Armfield  and  wife,  with  their  sons,  viz.,  Wil- 
liam. John.  Robert,  Isaac  and  Thomas,  and  a  number  of  their 
neighbors,  sold  their  furniture  and  set  out  for  North  Carolina. 
The  three  daughters  were  married,  and  remained  in  Pennsvlvania. 
There  were  about  one  hundrefl  men.  besides  women  and  children, 
all  traveling  horseback.    John  Armfield  acted  as  leader,  as  he  was 


150  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

acquainted  with  the  route.  It  took  nearly  two  months  to  make 
the  journey.  Several  families  came  from  Nantucket,  via  Penn- 
sylvania, and  John  Armfield  and  others  joined  them  and  all  came 
on  to  North  Carolina  together.  The  party  reached  its  destination 
the  last  of  May,  1765. 

Upon  their  arrival  in  North  Carolina,  John  Armfield  and 
family  settled  on  South  Buffalo,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile 
southwest  of  Pomona  or  Salem  Junction.  Their  first  log-house 
stood  a  short  distance  north  of  the  present  railroad  tracl<:,  a  little 
over  three  miles  from  Greensboro,  on  land  now  owned  by  J.  Van 
Lindley.  The  Ballingers  settled  west  of  New  Garden  Meeting 
House,  on  land  which  is  still  owned  by  the  family.  The  Iddinges 
settled  on  the  road  which  leads  from  Greensboro  to  Guilford  Col- 
lege at  a  place  which  became  later  the  home  of  the  late  Joshua 
Lindley.  The  Hodgins  settled  in  what  is  now  South  Guilford; 
the  \\"orths  still  farther  south  on  Deep  River,  in  the  present  county 
of  Randolph,  and  also  in  South  Guilford,  near  Centre.  The  Stu- 
arts built  their  home  near  the  headwaters  of  Deep  River,  in  south- 
west Guilford.  The  Coffins  settled  in  northwest  Guilford,  near 
the  Ballingers ;  the  Mendenhalls  on  Deep  River,  which  place  is 
now  known  as  Old  Jamestown.  The  Gardners  lived  east  of  James- 
town. The  names  of  other  families  have  become  extinct,  on  ac- 
count of  emigration  to  the  West. 

As  only  two  of  John  Armfield's  sons,  William  and  Isaac,  had 
families  and  remained  in  North  Carolina,  we  will  trace  each 
branch  separately  and  mention  the  other  three  sons  in  the  proper 
order. 

John  Armfield,  who  came  from  England,  had  five  sons,  whose 
names  were  given  above  as  follows :  William,  John,  Robert,  Isaac 
and  Thomas.  William,  the  oldest  son  of  John,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1720,  married  Mary  Hamilton  there  about  1745.  They 
had  sA^en  sons:  William  (Little  Billy),  Robert.  Nathan,  Solomon, 
Jonathan,  David  and  John;  also  three  daughters.  One  daughter 
married  a  Fields,  another  a  Macy,  and  the  third  a  Barnet.     Wil- 


S'ORTH  CAROLINA.  l»l 

liam  moved  to  the  Worth  Settlement,  in  southern  Guilford,  now 
Centre,  about  1770.  and  tojjjether  with  his  brother-in-law,  Hamil- 
ton, opened  a  blacksmith  ami  waj^on  shop.  At  the  bey:innin^  of 
the  Revolution,  his  father.  John,  beinjj  very  old,  persuaded  Wil- 
liam to  sell  out  and  return  to  the  old  homestead.  This  he  did.  and 
manaijed  the  farm  very  successfully,  and  took  care  of  his  father 
until  his  death  in  1702,  in  his  ninety-seventh  year.  John  Armtield, 
ami  later  his  sons  William  and  Isaac,  were  buried  in  the  N'ew  Gar- 
den c:raveyard. 

William  was  a  strict  Quaker  and  took  no  active  part  in  the 
\\  ar  \uuil  shortly  before  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse.  The 
Tories  made  a  raid  in  advance  of  the  armies.  They  went  to  his 
house  and  took  six  horses,  twenty  or  thirty  head  of  cattle,  all  his 
corn,  bacon  and  such  articles  of  clothing,  bedding,  etc.,  as  they 
wanted.  William  implored  the  Tories  to  leave  him  one  favorite 
black  horse,  as  he  had  a  large  famliy,  but  they  mocked  him  and 
went  away,  leaving  him  only  one  poor,  sickly  calf. 

At  this  point  William  Armfield  lost  his  Quakerism  for  a 
time.  He  shouldered  his  musket  and,  pretending  that  he  was 
going  to  hunt,  he  set  out  to  join  the  Continental  Army.  The 
morning  of  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse,  he  went  to  head- 
quarters at  New  Garden  Meeting  House  and  said  to  General 
Greene:  "General.  I  have  come  to  help  thee  out  today."  The 
General  smiled  at  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  Quaker  coat,  but  at 
William's  urgent  request,  he  gave  him  a  place  in  Joe  Lovett's 
company,  where  he  fought  all  day.  Joe  Lovett  was  a  private 
soldier  and  a  great  friend  of  William  Armfield.  When  the  latter 
reached  home  that  night,  weary  and  worn  out.  his  wife  asked : 
"William,  where  is  thy  game."  He  replied :  "The  game  I  killed 
was  not  worth  bringing  home." 

William  Armfield  married  the  second  time.  Mrs.  Lydia  Fields, 
the  widow  of  a  soldier  who  was  killed  in  the  P.attle  of  King's 
Mountain.  She  had  ten  Fields  children  and  her  husband.  William 
Armfield.  had  eleven  children  bv  his  first  wife.  Marv  Hamliton. 


152  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

They  had  two  more  children  after  their  marriage,  which  made 
twenty-three  in  all.  One  of  the  last  two  died  early ;  the  other  was 
Joseph  B.,  from  whom  much  of  this  history  was  obtained.  He 
lived  to  be  ninety-six  years  old  and  remembered  his  grandfather, 
John  Armfield,  of  England.  Much  of  this  information  was  writ- 
ten down  at  his  dictation  about  twenty-five  years  ago  by  his 
grandson,  G.  Will  Armfield,  of  Greensboro. 

William  Jr.  (Little  Billy),  oldest  son  of  William,  the  first, 
married  Bettie  Greeen,  of  Jamestown.  They  had  four  sons,  Jacob, 
Robert,  William  and  Isaac;  and  three  daughters.  One  married 
John  Macy,  another  Christopher  Hiatt,  and  the  other  John  Un- 
thank.    "Little  Billy"  lived  to  be  ninety-nine  years  old. 

Jacob,  oldest  son  of  William  Jr.,  married  Ann  Stevenson, 
sister  to  the  wife  of  his  half-uncle,  Joseph  B.  Jacob's  sons  were 
as  follows :  Hiram,  Alfred,  Tillman,  Isaac,  Paris  and  Elam.  His 
daughters  were:  Jane,  Diana  and  Susan.  Hiram  married  Jane 
Carmichael.  Alfred  married  Polly  Iddings,  sister  of  Meshach 
Iddings,  who  was  the  manufacturer  of  the  celebrated  Iddings 
augers,  Diana  married  Joseph  Iddings.  The  entire  family  of 
Jacob  went  to  Indiana  in  1831.  This  ends  all  our  knowledge  of 
his  branch  of  the  family. 

Robert,  William  Jr.'s  second  son,  married  a  Bland.  He  had 
five  sons,  who  were:  William  Nelson,  John  T.,  Robert  Franklin, 
Alexander  and  Morehead.  William  Nelson  married  Aliss  ]^Ioon. 
Their  children  were:  John  F.,  Julius,  William  E.,  jMary  ]\Iay, 
Alice  Lee  and  Sarah.  John  F.,  oldest  son  of  Nelson,  married 
Rosa  Holmes  and  went  to  the  West.  He  has  five  sons :  John, 
William,  Robert,  Frederick  and  Nelson.  Julius,  second  son  of 
Nelson,  married  Leanna  Reich.  He  died  and  left  a  widow  and 
one  son,  Claud,  who  lives  in  Winston.  William  E.,  Nelson's 
third  son,  married  Ella  Shore.  Their  children's  names  are  as 
follows :  Walter,  Weldon,  Duke,  Allen  and  Ruth.  Mary  May, 
Nelson's  oldest  daughter,  married  Harper  Cummings.  Their  sons 
are  Cyrus  and  Charles.     Alice  Lee,  second  daughter  of  Nelson, 


NORTH  CAROLISA.  168 

marricil  C.  F.  IVrry.  Their  cliildrcn  an-  Aldcii  and  P.yron. 
Sarah,  voung^est  daughter  of  Xolsoii.  married  KuKcne  X'auKdin, 
antl  lias  two  children.  Sadie  and  Xelson.  John  T.,  second  son 
of  Rohert.  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Coffin,  at  Jamestown.  He 
practiced  in  South  Carolina,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Campbell 
and  then  moved  to  Alabama.  P.oth  are  dead.  They  left  several 
children,  whose  names  we  are  unable  to  give. 

Robert  Franklin,  third  son  of  Robert,  married  a  Miss  Deimy. 
Their  sons  are  Charles  H..  Josei)h.  James  and  Robert,  and  there 
are  three  daujjhters.  Robert  Franklin  was  the  well-known  Juds:^e 
Armfield.  of  Statcsville.  who  was  one  of  the  State's  most  g^ifted 
sons.  He  served  as  Colonel  in  the  Confederate  Army,  as  Con- 
g^ressman  for  two  terms,  as  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State,  and 
as  Jud,c:e  of  the  Superior  Court.  But  he  was  perhaps  g^reatest  as 
a  criminal  lawyer.  He  defended  many  men  in  the  most  noted, 
murder  cases  in  the  State,  and  was  successful  without  exception. 

His  oldest  son.  Charles  H..  is  bearinj^  his  name  and  wearing 
his  father's  mantle  worthily.  Another  son,  Joseph,  was  the  bril- 
liant and  admired  young  Colonel  of  the  First  North  Carolina 
Regiment,  which  served  in  Cuba  during  the  W'^ar  with  Spain. 
Alexander,  fourth  son  of  Robert,  married  in  Georgia. 

Robert,  second  son  of  William  the  first,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
American  Army  and  died  during  the  Revolution.  Nathan,  third 
son  of  William  the  first,  married  Polly  Dempsey.  They  lived  near 
Pleasant  Garden  Church.  Nathan  represented  Guilford  in  the 
State  Senate  for  years.  He  went  South,  returned  with  yellow 
fever,  but  recovered.  He  died  in  1839.  One  of  his  sons  severely 
cut  his  foot  with  an  axe  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  The  other, 
John,  went  to  Tennessee  and  became  a  slave-trader,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  .A.rmficld  &  Franklin.  He  amassed  a  large  for- 
time.  He  had  an  elegant  summer  home  at  Beersheba  Springs,  in 
the  Cumberland  Mountains,  and  winter  homes  in  Alexandria,  Va., 
and  in  New  Orleans,  where Jie  and  his  wife  lived  and  entertained 
in    princely   style.      He   was   one   of   the   original    founders   and 


154  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

trustees  of  the  University  of  the  South,  at  Sewanee,  Tenn.  He 
left  a  widow  and  an  adopted  daughter,  who  Hve  at  Belle  Air,  Md., 
the  latter  being  the  wife  of  ex-Congressman  Archer. 

Solomon,  fourth  son  of  William  the  first,  married  Thankful 
Cummings.  Three  sons  and  as  many  daughters  were  born  to 
them.  Their  names  were:  William  Addison,  Allen,  Calvin,  Ma- 
linda,  Elvira  and  Jane. 

William  Addison,  oldest  son  of  Solomon,  married  and  had 
three  sons.  They  were :  Dr.  John,  Jesse  and  Solomon.  John  went 
to  Indiana.  He  has  two  sons  living  at  Elwood,  Ind.,  Orla,  a  law- 
yer, being  one.  Jesse  and  Solomon  both  went  West.  Allen,  sec- 
ond son  of  Solomon,  never  married.  He  went  to  California  dur- 
ing the  gold  fever,  then  to  Missouri,  where  he  died.  Calvin,  Solo- 
mon's third  son,  married  first  in  eastern  North  Carolina,  again  in 
Indiana,  and  was  living  there  in  1900.  Malinda,  oldest  daughter 
of  Solomon,  married  Allen  Short.  Elvira  never  married,  but 
Jane  married  Andrew  Kirkman.  The  following  are  their  chil- 
dren :  Calvin,  Alpheus,  James  and  a  Mrs.  Jarvis.  Calvin  married 
Adela  Armfield,  daughter  of  Ithamar.  Alpheus  married  a  J\Iiss 
Clifton. 

Jonathan,  fifth  son  of  William  the  first,  went  to  Indiana  and 
died  of  cholera  during  the  War  of  1812. 

David,  sixth  son  of  W^illiam  the  first,  married  Betsy  Trotter. 
They  had  a  large  family,  who  were  all  prominent  people  in  their 
day.  Their  names  were  as  follows  :  Solomon,  Jonathan,  Needham, 
Hamilton,  Abner,  Ensley,  Betsy  and  Jane. 

Solomon,  oldest  son  of  David,  married  a  Aliss  Bland.  Their 
children  are  these:  John,  Jesse  Lee,  Solomon,  ^Mary  Alag  and 
Asenath,  who  died  unmarried.  John,  Solomon's  oldest  son,  mar- 
ried Roxana  Patterson.  They  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter — 
Edgar,  William  Ensley  and  Clara.  His  second  wife  was  Belle 
Wiley.  He  lives  ten  miles  south  of  Greensboro.  Jesse  Lee,  second 
son  of  Solomon,  married  Nannie  Kirkman.  Their  children  are: 
Charles,   who   married   Miss   Groome;   Minnie,   now    ]\Irs.    Lee 


NORTH  C.-IROLLWl.  156 

Groonie.  who  has  several  children;  and  Genevieve,  wife  of  Chas. 
Covin^rton.  of  HiRh  Point.  Jesse  Lee  and  his  children,  with  the 
except io!i  of  the  last-named,  live  near  Jamestown.  Solomon,  third 
.son  of  Solomon,  never  married,  but  lives  one  mile  east  of  James- 
town. 

Marv  yiaix.  daui;htcr  of  Solomon,  married  J.  M.  Wharton. 
a  merchant  of  Jamestown.    They  have  no  children. 

Jonathan,  second  son  of  David,  married  Sarah  IJrown.  of 
Iredell  County.  They  had  three  children:  Matthew.  Luther  and 
Lou.  r>oth  .sons  went  West.  The  dau.t,diter  died  receiuly.  un- 
married. 

Xeedham.  third  son  of  David,  married  and  moved  to  Georjjia. 
His  son  Lmsley  is  now  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  at  Monroe, 
X.  C.  Emsley  married  Rachel  Phifer,  ami  they  have  a  large  and 
interestinij  family,  whose  names  are  as  follows :  Ella.  Alice.  Frank, 
Davis.  Rufus.  Wilma,  Lina  and  Emsley.  Ella  is  now  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Lee.  and  has  six  children.  Alice  married  Major  W.  C.  Heath. 
They  have  three  children.  Frank  is  a  prominent  young  lawyer 
in  Monroe.  Rufus  married  Lola  Houston.  All  live  in  Monroe. 
Kmsley  served  in  the  Civil  War.  His  only  brother,  Frank,  served 
four  years  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  was  killed  at  .Appomattox, 
two  days  before  Lee's  surrender  and  a  few  months  after  his  mar- 
riage to  Ellen  Houston,  daughter  of  the  late  Hugh  Houston,  of 
Monroe. 

Hanulton.  fourth  son  of  David,  married  Thankful  Short. 
Their  sons  are  Xeedham,  David  the  Doctor,  Jonathan  and  Allen, 
and  their  daughters,  Bettie.  Emeline,  Mary  and  Corinna.  Xeed- 
ham. oldest  son  of  Hamilton,  married  a  Ward.  Their  children 
are  Rhodema,  Walter.  Xona,  Eugenia  Mary,  John  and  Emma. 

Dr.  David,  second  son  of  Hamilton,  married  Delia  Sapp. 
luigene  S.,  Carl  and  Earl  are  their  sons.  Their  daughter,  \^era, 
married  Dr.  Foscue. 

Jonathan,  third  son  of  Hamilton,  died  at  the  close  of  the  War 
from  exposure  in  the  service.     .Allen,   fourth  son  of  Hamilton, 


156  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

married  Miss  Ford  and  went  to  Kansas.  Bettie,  daughter  of 
Hamilton,  married  a  Crow  and  lives  in  Randolph  County.  Mary, 
second  daughter  of  Hamilton,  married  Julian  Kirkman,  and  moved 
to  Indiana.  Corinna,  youngest  daughter  of  Hamilton,  married 
J.  M.  Moon. 

Abner,  fifth  son  of  David,  married  Hannah  Wilson.  They 
had  three  children :  Wilson,  Oliver  and  Emily,  who  married  Mon- 
roe Kirkman. 

Emsley,  sixth  and  youngest  son  of  David,  married  Jane 
McGibony.  Their  only  child.  Roxie,  married  Hon.  John  L.  King, 
and  resides  in  Greensboro.  Emsley  Armfield  was  a  successful 
financier.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners for  years. 

Betsy,  oldest  daughter  of  David,  married  Col.  James  Millis. 
They  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  died  young 
except  J.  Henry  Millis  and  Mary.  Henry  married  Cornelia 
Walker,  of  Asheboro.  He  is  a  prominent  manufacturer  and  busi- 
ness man  of  High  Point,  and  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  County  Commissioners  for  ten  years.  His  children  are  Albian, 
Edwin  and  Sallie,  who  married  William  Armfield,  son  of  Wyatt. 
Henry  Millis'  older  daughter,  Mary,  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

Mary,  daughter  of  James  Millis,  married  Samuel  Walker,  of 
Asheboro.  Their  children  are:  James  Walker,  of  High  Point; 
Emma,  now  Mrs.  C.  W.  Worth,  of  Wilmington,  and  Annie,  who 
is  Mrs.  James  H.  Pou,  of  Raleigh. 

Jane,  David's  other  daughter,  married  John  W^iddows.  They 
had  one  son  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  died  unmarried. 

John,  seventh  and  last  son  of  William  Armfield  by  his  first 
wife,  married  a  Miss  Avery  and  went  to  Tennessee.  His  oldest 
son,  John,  volunteered  and  went  into  the  War  of  1812.  He  fought 
in  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans.  It  is  tradition  in  the  family  that 
he  killed  the  British  officer  Packingham  with  his  father's  rifle,  and 
that  that  turned  the  tide  of  battle  in  the  Americans'  favor.  All 
trace  of  this  branch  of  the  family  has  been  lost.     This  ends  the 


NORTH  C.'lKOUX.t.  157 

liistory  of  the  cliildron  of  William  Armtkld  hy  his  first  wifr.  Mary 
1 1  ami  It  on. 

A  few  years  after  his  wife's  death  William  Armfield  married 
Mrs.  Lydia  Julian  Fields,  the  widow  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
who  was  killed  at  the  P.attle  of  Kinj^^'s  Mountain.  She  was  the 
mother  of  ten  children  hy  her  first  hushand.  After  her  marriac^e 
to  William  Armfield  she  had  two  sons.  One  died  younj::;  the 
other  was  Joseph  11.  .Armfield.  He  was  horn  in  \y^$  and  i^acw 
up  to  he  an  honorable  and  uprit^ht  man,  prominent  in  church 
affairs  and  in  the  county.  Mis  wife  was  Xellie  Stevenson,  sister 
of  Robert  Stevenson,  the  noted  wheelwriij^ht  and  wapon-maker. 
I  le  made  both  the  larjrc  spinninjij-wheels  and  the  small  Ha.x-wheels 
which  were  in  use  in  nearly  every  household  at  that  time. 

Joseph  15.  remained  with  his  father  William  at  the  old  home- 
stead on  lUiffalo.  near  Pomona,  until  his  father's  death.  Some- 
time afterward  he  sold  this  orig^inal  homestead,  which  was  settled 
by  John  Armfield,  of  Pennsylvania  and  Enj^land,  and  bought  a 
farm  on  P.ull  Run  Creek,  two  miles  northeast  of  Jamestown,  where 
he  anil  his  faithful  wife  lived  for  more  than  si.xty  years,  until  her 
death  in  1875.  They  were  strict  Primitive  Baptists  for  half  a 
century  and  attended  church  rcs^ularly  at  Abbott's  Creek.  Joseph 
r..  was  a  stronc]^  L'nion  man  before  and  durinj^  the  War,  and  a 
Grant  Republican.  He  voted  in  every  Presidential  election  from 
I  Serf')  to  and  includinfj  1880.  He  remained  at  his  home  until  a  few 
weeks  before  his  death,  when  he  went  to  visit  his  daujc:hter.  Char- 
lotte Gardner,  who  lived  at  the  Gardner  Hill  mine.  Althout^h  he 
was  i)erfectly  blind,  he  expressed  ijreat  rejT^ret  upon  leavinjj  his  old 
home,  sayinc^  that  he  feared  that  he  would  never  be  there  as^ain. 
Soon  after  he  was  taken  sick  and  died,  after  an  illness  of  two 
weeks.  His  phvsician  said  that  he  was  without  disease  and  that 
his  death  was  entirely  due  to  old  age. 

He  was  over  ninety-five  years  old.  His  mind  was  clear  and 
liis  memory  perfect  to  the  last,  and  it  was  from  him,  as  has  been 
said,  that  the  greater  part  of  this  history  was  obtained.     He  was 


158  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

literally  "the  last  leaf  upon  the  tree,"  as  he  was  the  youngest  of 
the  thirteen  children  of  William  Armfield,  the  son  of  John  Arm- 
field,  who  came  from  England.  He  outlived  all  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  many  cousins  of  the  same  name  and  all  the  associates  of  his 
early  youth. 

The  sons  of  Joseph  B.  were  the  following:  Julian,  Jesse, 
Ithamar,  Joseph  S.  and  John  J.  Julian,  the  oldest,  married  Han- 
nah Iddings,  and  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  his  father's 
farm,  now  known  as  the  Capt.  John  Endy  place.  In  1849,  while 
his  children,  Isaac,  Alpheus  and  Sarah,  were  not  yet  grown,  he 
moved  to  Indiana,  where  he  died.  Isaac,  son  of  Julian,  married 
and  moved  from  Indiana  to  Iowa,  where  his  children  now  reside, 
Alpheus  died  in  Indiana.     Sarah  married  and  moved  to  Kansas. 

Jesse,  second  son  of  Joseph  B.,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  a  bright  and  promising  man. 

Ithamar,  third  son  of  Joseph  B.,  married  Martha  Gates,  and 
settled  north  of  his  birthplace,  where  he  still  lives  at  an  advanced 
age.  His  children  are  Albert,  Elizabeth  and  Adela.  Albert  mar- 
ried Emily  Hassell  during  the  Civil  War.  He  served  through  the 
war  with  his  uncle,  John  Armfield,  was  captured  at  Appomattox 
two  days  before  Lee's  surrender  and  was  taken  to  Point  Lookout 
Prison,  where  he  was  kept  six  months.  A  few  years  after  the 
War  he  died.  He  had  two  sons,  James  and  Frank,  and  several 
daughters.  James  married  and  lives  in  Pilot  ]\Iountain^  and  Frank 
lives  in  High  Point. 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Ithamar,  married  James  Ledwell,  and 
died  several  years  ago.  Adela  married  Calvin  Kirkman,  who  is 
yardmaster  for  the  Southern  Railway  in  Greensboro.  They  have 
three  sons,  Albert,  Alexander  and  Calvin  (all  train-dispatchers), 
and  two  daughters. 

Joseph  S.,  fourth  son  of  Joseph  B.,  was  born  in  1823.  His 
wife  was  Nellie  Iddings,  daughter  of  Mark  Iddings,  and  settled 
near  Jamestown.  He  was  an  expert  gunsmith  and  was  a  mei^iber 
of  the  firm  of  Lamb  &  Armfield,  who  made  the  famous  Lamb  Ken- 


XORTH  C.lROLLWl.  1<>» 

tucky  rifles.  They  maiuifacturcil  these  pms  ami  sent  them  in 
wa.ijons  to  the  various  courts  throughout  western  Xortli  Carolina 
and  over  into  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  Joseph  S.  suffered  many 
hardships  during;  the  War  on  account  of  his  strong,  outspoken 
I'nion  principles.  He  died  in  1887  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  and 
was  interred  in  Deep  River  churchyard. 

Joseph  S.  had  oidy  two  children.  Geor}j:e  Williamson  and 
Melvina.  O.  Will  married  in  1875  Ksther  Wakefield,  dau^'hter  of 
the  late  Henry  Wakefield,  who  was  a  native  of  England  and  came 
to  Canada  and  thence  to  North  Carolina.  She  is  also  a  sister  of 
Dr.  W.  H.  Wakefield,  of  Charlotte.  G.  Will  settled  in  Greensboro, 
where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in  the  dry  goods  line,  first  as 
salesman  with  Houston  &  Causey,  succeeded  by  Houston  &  Bro. 
Then  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Brown  &  Armfield.  but 
latter  carried  on  a  successful  business  under  his  own  name  until 
1893,  when  he  closed  out  to  Thackcr  &  Brockman. 

He  has  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters:  Josei)h,  now  in 
Greensboro  P.  O. ;  Mrytle;  Clay,  electrician  for  McAdoo  Tele- 
phone Co. ;  Hazel,  whose  tragic  accidental  death  on  August  26, 
i<>oi,  has  forever  marred  the  bright  and  happy  home ;  Roy,  George 
and  Hugh. 

Melvina.  daughter  of  Joseph  S..  marricil  Franklin  Frazier. 
and  lives  at  Gladesboro.     She  has  no  children. 

John  J.,  youngest  son  of  Joseph  B.,  married  Lydia  Hill,  and 
settled  near  his  father's  home.  He  was  superintendent  of  the 
Lamb  Armory,  which  was  broken  up  about  six  months  before  the 
close  of  the  War,  when  he  was  conscripted  and  taken  to  the  army. 
Two  days  before  Lee's  surrender,  he  was  captured,  and  then 
l)laced  in  Point  Lookout  Prison,  where  he  died  a  few  days  after 
the  assasination  of  Lincoln.  He  left  a  wife,  one  son  and  two 
daughters,  Mary  L.  and  Laura,  who  married  Prof.  J.  M.  Weath- 
erly.  She  has  three  sons,  Carl,  John  and  Ralph.  John  J.'s  son, 
Nathan,  went  to  Indiana. 

Lydia,  oldest  daughter  of  Joseph  B..  married  John  P.artley. 


160  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Their  sons  were  R.  IMadison  and  John.  The  latter  went  to  Indi- 
ana at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  R.  ]\Iadison  married  a 
Miss  Barker,  and  settled  at  Avon,  Ind.  Their  children's  names 
are  Erastus,  Orla  and  Nellie,  all  of  whom  are  married  and  live 
in  their  native  State.  The  daughters  of  Lydia  and  John  Bartley 
were  Mary,  Eleanor  and  Charlotte.     None  ever  married. 

Charlotte,  second  daughter  of  Joseph  B.,  married  John  Gard- 
ner, the  original  owner  of  the  Gardner  Hill  mine.  She  had  one 
son,  Jesse,  who  married  Louisa  Freeman.  He  and  his  one  child, 
Mary,  are  dead. 

Lavinia,  third  daughter  of  Joseph  B.,  died  in  1820,  while  a 
school-girl. 

Patience,  the  fourth  daughter,  married  Jabez  Stephens,  and 
had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  Jesse  F.,  who  is  a 
Pullman  car  conductor,  and  lives  in  Greensboro. 

Eleanor,  fifth  daughter  of  Joseph  B.',  married  William  Reece, 
Jr.,  of  Randolph  County.  He  died  while  a  soldier,  in  1864.  She 
has  several  children. 

Mary  Ann,  youngest  daughter  of  Joseph  B.,  married  Donnell 
Burney.  This  ends  the  history  thus  far  obtainable  of  the  family 
of  Joseph  B.  Armfield. 

John,  Jr.,  second  son  of  the  original  John  Armfield,  mar- 
ried and  brought  his  wife  from  Pennsylvania,  settled  southeast  of 
his  father,  on  South  Buffalo,  near  the  present  Vandalia.  He  had 
a  small  family,  and  moved  west,  probably  to  Tennessee.  We  have 
no  further  account  of  him  or  his  family. 

Robert,  third  son  of  the  original  John  Armfield,  married  in 
Pennsylvania,  just  before  he  came  to  North  Carolina.  He  settled 
on  the  headwaters  of  South  Buffalo.  While  he  was  out  hunting 
one  day,  the  Indians  killed  and  scalped  his  wife  and  child.  He 
never  married  again.  Although  he  was  a  Quaker  and  therefore 
exempt  from  service,  he  fought  through  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  served  as  a  Regular,  fighting  the  Indians  after  the  War.  He 
died  at  his  brother  William's  house  not  long  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. 


NOKTH  C.tROLlNA.  161 

Isaac,  fourtli  son  of  the  original  John  AnnfKld.  inarricd  a 
Miss  I'.rown.  and  lived  on  a  farm  tuar  his  father's  place  on  South 
r.uflalo.  He  fouf^dit  with  the  North  Can>lina  militia  at  the  Uattle 
of  C.uilford  Courthouse.  Althouj,di  he  had  six  sons,  there  are  very 
few  of  his  descendants,  beariufj;  the  name,  now  livinjj  in  Guilford 
County.  These  were  his  sons:  John.  William.  Robert,  Joseph  C, 
Isaac  and  Jacob.  His  dauj^hters  were  Ann  and  Betsy.  Johtt.  the 
oldest  son.  moved  to  Shelby  County.  Tennessee,  about  1810.  One 
of  his  daujjhters  married  a  Zarecor,  and  her  grandson,  J.  H, 
Zarecor,  is  now  a  prominent  lawyer  in  Nashville.  Tenn. 

William,  second  son  of  Isaac  the  first,  familiarly  known  as 
"Sheriff  Billy."  was  a  well-known  figure  in  his  day  and  time.  He 
was  County  Treasurer  and  Sheriff  of  Guilford  for  a  number  tf 
years,  being  Sheriff  at  the  time  the  courthouse  was  move  1  from 
Martinsville  to  Greensboro.  He  married  Hannah  Greene  and 
lived  near  Pomona.  They  had  a  large  family,  their  children  being 
Isaac.  Robert.  Hans.  Joseph.  William  Cameron,  John,  Jacob, 
Hannah.  Betsy,  Jennie,  Sallie  and  Delilah. 

Isaac,  oldest  son  of  '"SherifT  Billy,"  married  a  Miss  Hoskins. 
Their  son,  Joseph,  lives  with  his  family  on  Deep  River,  near  Free- 
man's Mill. 

Robert,  second  son  of  "Sheriff  Billy,"  married  Miss  Lovett. 
Their  son,  Boston,  died  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and  their 
daughter  married  a  Hayworth. 

Hans,  "Sheriff  Billy's"  third  son,  was  educated  at  Chapel 
Hill.  He  built  an  academy  near  Jamestown,  where  he  taught 
school  about  ten  years.  Later,  he  moved  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  where 
he  practiced  law.  He  was  married  before  leaving  this  State  to 
Lucinda,  daughter  of  George  Gardner.  They  died  in  Mississippi, 
without  children. 

Joseph,  fourth  son  of  "Sheriff  Billy."  lived  near  Kernersville. 
His  children  were  William,  Joseph,  Tabitha  and  Mary  Ann 
William  moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  Joseph  to  Texas.  Mary  Ann 
married  a  King,  a  brother  of  Hon.  John  L.  King. 


162  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

William  Cameron,  fifth  son  of  "Sheriff  Billy,"  went  to  South 
Carolina  and  married  there.  He  was  a  practicing  physician  for 
many  years.    He  died  there,  leaving  two  or  three  children. 

John,  sixth  son  of  "Sheriff  Billy,"  lived  in  Rockingham 
County,  and  was  never  married. 

Jacob,  seventh  and  youngest  son  of  "Sheriff  Billy,"  also  lived 
in  Rockingham.  He  married  IMiss  Bland,  and  had  one  daughter, 
Rose,  w^ho  is  Mrs.  Wooters,  and  lives  in  Richmond,  Va. 

Hannah,  daughter  of  "Sheriff"  Billy,"  married  Hezekiah  John- 
ston, who  was  the  father  of  J.  Harper  Johnston,  of  High  Point. 
The  latter  has  four  daughters,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Bradshaw,  ]\Irs.  O.  E. 
Kearns,  INIrs.  C.  C.  Wilson  of  Florida  and  Alice.  Jennie,  another 
daughter  of  "Sheriff"  Billy,"  married  a  Coe,  and  Sally  married  a 
Burton.     Betsy  died  single. 

Robert,  third  son  of  Isaac  the  first,  died  young. 

Joseph  C.  was  the  fourth  of  the  six  sons  of  Isaac,  who  came 
from  Pennsylvania  with  his  father,  John.  Joseph  C.  was  born 
January  3,  1776,  therefore  a  subject  of  George  III.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Beeson.  In  1 795  he  bought  a  farm  on  Deep  River,  near 
the  present  town  of  High  Point,  where  some  of  his  descendants 
still  reside.  Joseph  C.  held  positions  of  trust  in  the  county  and 
in  his  church.  He  was  coroner  for  years  and  deacon  of  the  old 
Baptist  Church  at  Jamestown.  The  following  were  his  children: 
Richard  Beeson,  Wyatt  J.,  Sallie,  Mary,  Betsy  and  Laura.  Of 
these,  Richard  Beeson  was  the  only  one  who  remained  in  the 
State  and  married.  He  married  Annie  Chipman,  and  lived  on 
Deep  River  his  v/hole  life.  He  w'as  an  upright  man,  honest  and 
truthful  to  the  core.  His  was  a  character  without  sham  or  pre- 
tense, and  his  long  life  of  toil  and  saving  and  simplicity  was  an 
open  book  wherein  all  true  and  honest  men  might  read. 

Wyatt  J.,  only  son  of  Beeson,  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
troubled  times  of  the  Civil  War.  He  started  out  in  business  in 
1866  without  capital,  and  now,  after  thirty-five  years  of  honest 
endeavor,  economy  and  good  judgment,  he  has  accumulated  a 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  103 

lari^c  fortune.  He  was  enga^^il  in  the  juirsery  husincss  for  many 
years  ami  haiulled  larije  «iuantities  of  fruit  aud  ornamental  trees, 
sending:  salesmen  throup;hout  the  country  from  Xew  York  to  Xew 
Orleans,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi. 

Later,  he  went  into  the  banking:  business,  and  is  now  a  direc- 
tor of  eicrht  banks  in  the  counties  of  Guilford.  Randolph,  Davic- 
son.  Rix'kiuijham.  .Mamance.  Montj^omery  and  Davie.  All  these 
hanks  are  uniformly  successful.  His  first  comiectlon  with  a  bank 
was  ma>Ie  in  1876.  when  he  became  director  of  the  National  Bank 
of  Greensboro.  In  1886  he  was  elected  president  of  the  National 
r.ank  of  Hijjh  Point,  and  in  1896  director  of  the  Greensboro 
National  I'ank.  In  1897  he  was  made  vice-president  of  the  Batik 
of  Rantlolph.  Asheboro.  He  is  the  larg^est  stockholder  in  each  of 
the  three  banks  last  mentioned. 

He  also  invests  e.xtensively  in  stocks,  bonds  and  loans  on  his 
personal  account,  and  is  considered  very  fortunate.  He  assures 
his  friends  that  he  has  g;iven  only  one  note  and  endorsed  only  one 
as  surety,  and  never  has  overdrawn  his  bank  account  during  his 
entire  business  career. 

In  i8<'>8  he  married  Jennie  Britt.  daughter  of  W.  O.  P.ritt.  of 
Nashville.  Tenn.  Their  children  are  as  follows.  Eugene  M.,  Wil- 
liam J..  Frank,  Jesse,  lilanche  ( Mrs.  R.  T.  Pickens,  of  Lexington) 
and  Lucile.* 

Eugene  M.  .the  oldest,  has  been  cashier  of  the  National  Bank 
of  High  Point  since  1888.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Bank  of 
Thomasville  and  president  of  the  Bank  of  Alamance,  Graham. 
N.  C.  He  is  interested  in  various  manufacturing  enterprises  in 
High  Point,  and  is  easily  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  progressive 
business  men  among  the  young  men  of  the  State.  He  was  the 
leading  spirit  in  the  establishment  of  a  chain  of  banks  which 
covers  seven  counties.  He  has  a  mind  wonderful  for  its  breadth 
of  grasp  and  accuracy  of  detail,  and  also  an  unusual  memory. 

*  Sonifs  from  the  Carolina  Hills  is  a  bonk  of  poems  written  by  Nf  iss  Lucile  Armfield. 
She  is  A  clear  and  bcauuful  writer  and  one  of  Norili  Carolina's  gifted  women. 


164  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Though  his  time  is  largely  taken  up  with  his  business,  he  is  a 
man  of  culture  and  scholarly  tastes,  and  is  at  all  times  loyal  to  his 
Alma  Mater,  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  of  which  he  is  a 
trustee.  He  has  lately  established  the  Armfield  Scholarship  at 
the  University. 

William  J.,  second  son  of  Wyatt  J.,  is  cashier  of  the  Bank  of 
Randolph,  Asheboro,  N.  C,  and  president  of  the  Bank  of  Mont- 
gomery, Troy,  N.  C.  In  February,  1900,  he  married  Sallie  ^Nlillis, 
daughter  of  Henry  Millis,  of  High  Point.  They  have  one  son, 
Britt  Millis  Armfield. 

Jesse  L.,  youngest  son  of  Wyatt,  has  been  cashier  of  the  Bank 
of  Thomasville  since  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  He  is  also 
treasurer  of  the  Thomasville  Manufacturing  Co.,  and  secretary  of 
the  Lambeth  Furniture  Co. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Beeson,  married  1.  H.  White,  and  has 
eight  children. 

Wyatt  J.,  younger  son  of  Joseph  C,  died  in  1843,  ^  short 
time  before  his  nephew  and  namesake,  the  present  Wyatt  J.,  was 
born.    He  was  about  twenty-tive  years  old  and  unmarried. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  C,  married  John  Chipman,  and 
moved  to  Texas.  Betsy  married  Enoch  Stevens ;  Sallie,  Obed 
Chipman,  and  Laura,  Albert  Dillon.  These  three,  with  their  hus- 
bands, moved  to  Missouri  many  years  ago. 

Isaac,  Jr.,  fifth  son  of  Isaac  the  first,  lived  near  the  present 
\^andalia.  The  following  were  his  children :  Martin,  Harmon, 
]\Iark,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Polly  and  Jennie.  Martin,  oldest  son  of 
Isaac,  Jr.,  married  and  had  one  daughter,  Isabella,  who  died 
young. 

Harmon,  second  son  of  Isaac,  Jr.,  married  Delitha  Wilson, 
in  1837,  and  went  to  Tennessee.  They  had  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Jane,  Mary,  Andrew,  William  and  Jesse. 

Jane  married  James  Lockman ;  her  children  are :  W.  W. 
Lockman,  Bolivar,  Tenn. ;  Mrs.  Leona  Stewart,  Blythesville,  Ark.; 
A.  L.  Lockman,  Janesville,  Ala.;  Mrs.  Cora  Milstead  and  Mrs. 
Mattie  ^liistead,  of  Cranesville,  Tenn. 


NORTH  CAROUSA.  1«& 

Marv.  second  daiij^htor  of  llarinon,  married  Dr.  William 
Thompson,  and  they  live  with  their  only  dauj^hter,  Cora,  in 
I'.olivar.  Tenn. 

Andrew.  oMest  son  of  Harmon,  was  lost  in  the  Civil  War. 

William,  second  son  of  Harmon,  died  in  1885  at  .\rkadelphia. 
Ark.,  and  left  two  children — James,  who  lives  at  lUinis,  ( )kla.,  and 
Mrs.  Cora  Hunt,  of  Little  Rock.  Ark. 

Jesse,  third  son  of  Harmon,  lives  at  Ardmore,  I.  T.  His 
children  are:  Mrs.  Ora  Citty.  Ozan,  Ark.;  William,  who  died  in 
hkxd;  .\nnie  Lee  and  Gertrude. 

Mark,  third  son  of  Lsaac,  Jr..  had  one  son,  William,  and 
three  dauc:hters,  Mrs.  Lucy  Cunninj^ini  and  Misses  Fannie  and 
r.ettie.  who  have  tau{::ht  in  Greensboro  College  for  years. 

Lsaac,  fourth  son  of  Isaac.  Jr.,  married  a  Miss  Hendrix,  and 
moved  to  Mt.  Airy.  He  died  a  few  years  ago  at  an  advanced 
age.  There  are  now  nearly  fifty  of  his  descendants  living  in 
and  near  Mt.  Airy.  His  sons  are  Monroe,  Frank,  Martin  and 
.Marcus:  his  daughters,  Annie  and  Jennie,  the  latter  being  dead. 

Monroe,  son  of  Lsaac.  has  three  children:  John  0..  Fred  and 
Lelia.  who  married  a  Cochran.  Frank,  Isaac's  son,  has  five  boys 
and  a  daughter,  as  follows :  James,  Isaac,  Ester,  Elma.  Cleveland, 
Roy  and  Ora.  Martin,  son  of  Isaac,  married  a  Mitchell.  These 
are  their  children :  Thomas,  Walter,  Luther,  Charles,  Loton, 
(.eorge,  Florence,  Elizabeth,  Jeanette  and  Alice. 

Marcus,  son  of  Isaac,  married  a  Prather.  Their  children  are: 
Frank.  Edward.  James.  Thomas.  Arthur.  Maud,  Annie,  Ethel  and 
r.ert.  Frank,  oldest  son  of  Marcus,  lives  in  Fayetteville,  and  has 
two  children.  Donald  and  Dennis.  Thomas  is  married  and  has 
two  children.  Ralph  and  Louise.  Maud  is  also  married  and  has 
two  daughters.     Bert  married  Dr.  Duncan. 

Nannie,  daughter  of  Isaac,  married  John  Greenwooil,  ami  has 
si.x  children. 

Lolly,  daughter  of  Isaac.  Jr..  married  Roderick  Hendrix,  and 
Jemiic  married  a  McClintock.     Loth  went  to  Tennessee. 


166  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Jacob,  youngest  son  of  Isaac  the  first,  son  of  the  original 
John,  never  married. 

Thomas,  fifth  and  youngest  son  of  the  original  John,  never 
married.  He  was  always  spoken  of  as  "The  Bachelor."  He  was 
a  strong  Loyalist  during  the  Revolution,  which  was  quite  differ- 
ent from  all  his  relatives.  This  fact  made  it  unpleasant  for  him 
to  remain  in  this  country,  so  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  sooii 
after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  died  there. 

This  ends  the  history  of  the  original  John  Armfield  and  of 
his  posterity  to  the  present  time,  January,  1902.  He  was  the  only 
one  who  ever  came  from  England,  and  so  far  we  have  never  met 
nor  ever  heard  of  one  of  this  name  who  could  not  be  traced  to 
this  original  ancestor. 

In  apology,  we  wish  to  say  that  we  have  spared  no  time  or 
pains  in  obtaining  these  facts,  and  if  we  have  made  mistakes  or 
omissions  we  trust  that  none  will  feel  slighted  or  take  ofifense. 
This  has  been  a  much  greater  task  than  one  would  suppose  at 
first  thought.  These  facts  were  obtained  chiefly  from  G.  Will 
Armfield,  who  wrote  them  down  about  twenty-five  years  ago  at 
the  dictation  of  his  grandfather,  Joseph  B.,  and  from  W.  J.  Arm- 
field,  who  has  lived  his  entire  life  where  his  father  and  grand- 
father lived,  and  who  heard  the  story  of  the  family  from  their 
lips. 

BENBOW. 

In  1718  three  Benbow  brothers  came  from  Wales  to  America 
in  a  sailing  vessel.  As  they  had  no  money  they  were,  according 
to  custom,  sold  in  Philadelphia  to  the  highest  bidder  for  the  short- 
est length  of  time,  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  passage  on  the  ship. 
Charles,  then  fourteen  years  old,  was  bid  off  by  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Carver,  who  resided  in  Pennsylvania.  He  afterwards  came 
with  the  family  to  Bladen  County,  North  Carolina,  and  later 
married  one  of  Carver's  daughters.  His  brother  Gresham  was 
taken  by  a  New  Jersey  man.  Later,  he  and  his  family  went  to 
Bush  River,  South  Carolina,  and  several  of  the  famliy  moved  to 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  I'iT 

Indiana.  Grcshani  and  his  sons,  Powell  and  Richard,  were  noted 
for  their  fondness  for  tine  horses  and  racing.  During  the  Revolu- 
tioary  War  Mr.  Carver  and  Charles  Benbow  were  engaged  in 
the  culture  of  the  indigo  plant,  antl  later  moved  to  Guilford  County 
and,  being  Friends,  settled  at  Centre  Meeting  House,  ten  miles 
south  of  Greensboro.  The  third  brother  was  sold,  but  never  has 
been  traced. 

The  r.enbows  are  a  long-lived  people.  Charles  had  five 
daughters  and  two  sons.  Thomas  being  the  ancestor  of  the  family 
now  living  in  Guilford  County  and  several  of  the  Western  States. 

Thomas  married  Hannah  Stanley.  March  24,  1787.  They 
had  two  daughters  and  three  sons.  They  settled  near  the  Guilford 
Battleground  and  Mr.  Benbow  owned  and  operated  a  tanyard 
there.  He  must  have  owned  a  blacksmith  shop  as  well,  for  he 
made  the  nails  and  door-latches  for  the  New  Garden  Meeting 
House  in  1792. 

One  of  his  sons,  Charles,  married  Mary  Saunders,  antl  they 
gave  issue  to  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  the  youngest  child  being 
Dr.  D.  W.  C.  Benbow,  of  Grensboro.  N.  C. 

The  Benbow  family  have  worked  for  the  industrial  and  edu- 
cational development  of  Guilford  County.  Dr.  D.  W.  C.  Benbow 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  erection  and  maintenance  of  the 
first  graded  school  in  this  County  and  the  State.  Mrs.  Priscilla 
l>enbow  Hackney,  for  many  years  matron  at  Guilford  College,  has 
helped  numbers  of  girls  and  voung  women  toward  an  education. 
For  a  number  of  years  she  occupied  the  responsible  position  as 
clerk  in  the  woman's  division  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends 
of  Xorth  Carolina.  Mrs.  Hackney  certainly  holds  a  high  place  in 
North  Carolina.  Her  yearly  epistles  to  the  women  and  to  the 
children  of  Friends  are  beautiful  expressions  of  Christian  love 
and  fellowship. 

Dr.  Benbow  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  betterment  of 
the  road  law;  he  also  was  interested  in  the  change  in  the  local 
stock  law,  which  before  had  required  the  owners  of  grain,  fruits 


168  •  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

and  vegetables  to  take  care  of  stock.     The  Benbow  Hotel  wa& 
made  a  popular  resort  by  his  efforts. 

GARDNER  FAMILY  RECORD. 

"Richeard  Gardner  was  born  in  England  and  removed  to 
Salem  in  New  England  at  or  about  1684;  from  thence  to  Nan- 
tucket. He  begot  a  son  Richeard,  he  begot  Solomon,  he  begot 
Stephen  and  a  number  of  sons  and  daughters.  Stephen,  the  anther 
of  this,  was  born  on  Nantucket  the  10  mo,  11,  1746,  and  married 
Abigail  Pinkham  the  11  mo,  1766;  had  one  daughter  Eunice,  who 
diede  yong;  Abigail  born  i  mo,  20,  1772.  In  the  11  mo,  21,  1772, 
removed  from  Nantucket  with  my  wife  and  child,  father  and 
mother,  brothers  and  sister,  to  Guilford  County,  in  North  Caro- 
lina. Miriam,  born  5  mo,  24,  1774;  Stephen  Gardner,  my  oldest 
son,  6  mo,  10,  1776;  Shubal,  6  mo,  20,  1778;  Eunice,  i  mo,  4,  1781  ;. 
Roda,  2  mo,  15,  1783;  George,  4  mo,  9,  1785;  Abel,  8  mo,  i, 
1788." 

MARRIAGES  AND  BIRTHS. 

My  daughter  Abigail  married  Zeno  Worth — had  one  son  and 
three  daughters.  Miriam  married  Jonathan  Gardner — had  one 
son,  Stephen.  My  daughter  Eunice  married  David  Worth — had 
twelve  children,  nine  of  which  are  living  at  this  time,  the  10  mo, 
23,  1829. 

My  son,  Stephen,  married  Mary  Turner,  of  New  York,  and 
had  three  sons — John,  Franklin  and  Stephen  T. — and  four 
daughters. 

My  son  Stephen  died  in  Louisiana. 

My  son  Shubal  married  Mary  Brooks,  and  have  now  living 
John  and  Stephen  and  three  daughters.  He  died  in  the  State  of 
Indiana  in  the  year  1824, 

My  daughter  Roda  married  Abel  Coffin — had  four  sons  and 
three  daughters. 

My  son  George  married  Lidia  Coffin — have  four  sons  and 
four  daughters. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  K'-'J 

Mv  son  AI)fl  inarriol  Mary  lUiUock — had  one  dauf^htcr, 
Ascncth.  born  3  mo,  10,  1813:  Kachfl.  7  nio,  4,  1817;  Abigail,  12 
mo,  12.  1818:  Alcb  B..  5  mo,  4.  1820;  Mary  Marier,  9  mo,  15. 
1822:  Nathan  M..  2  mo,  18.  1824:  Miriam  P..  8  mo,  15  (faded 
out)  ;  Martha  Jane.  4  mo,  ii,  1832. 

Stei)hen  Gardner  dejiarted  this  hfe  20th  of  3  month,  1830, 
ag:ed  83  years  and  5  months. 

Abi^-ail  Garchier  departed  this  hfe  10  mo,  29,  1825,  aged  yj 
years  and  15  days. 

Roda  Coffin  departed  this  hfe  2  mo,  2,  1839. 

Lydia  Gardner  departed  this  Hfe  the  11  mo.  2S,  1833. 

George  Gardner,  ser,  departed  this  hfe  the  8  mo,  6,  1836. 

Jonathan  Gardner  died  11  mo,  5,  1843. 

Mary  Gardner  departed  this  hfe  Marcli  17.  1867,  aged  76 
years.  9  months  and  4  days. 

Abel  Gardner  departed  tliis  hfe  Xovember  26,  1873.  aged 
85  years.  3  months  aiul  25  davs. 

Eunice  Worth  departed  this  hfe  the  17  of  August,  1866, 
aged  86  years.  7  months  and  17  days. 

Nathan  M.  Gardner  died  Jan.  16,  1861,  aged  T^y  years. 

R.VLPII  COKkKI.I.. 

This  is  a  name  which  has  been  identified  with  this  County 
since  the  Regulation  War.  The  Gorrells.  Gillespies  and  Donnells 
were  soldier-patriots  in  America's  first  great  struggle  for  liberty. 
To  know  them,  read  Caruthers'  "Old  North  State."  On  the  fair 
honor  roll  of  the  Colonial  Dames  and  Sons  and  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  their  names  still  glow  with  the  fire  of  true 
patriotism. 

Hon.  Ralph  Gorrell.  a  descendant  of  Ralph  Gorrell  of  the 
Revolution,  was  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  statesman  of  Guilford 
County  during  the  Civil  War  period.  A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr. 
Gorrell  was  prepared  by  Mr.  John  G.  McCormick  in  the  Histori- 
cal Monoi^raf^h,  published  by  Mr.  James  Sprunt  for  the  University 


170  GUILFCRD  COUNTY, 

of  North  Carolina.     This  monograph  gives  the  personnel  of  the 
Convention  of  1861,  of  which  Mr.  Ralph  Gorrell  was  a  member. 

Mr.  Gorrell  held  many  positions  of  trust.  In  early  manhood 
he  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly,  and  in  that  capacity  he 
served  the  State  upon  many  occasions.  His  devotion  to  duty,  his 
sound  judgment  and  wisdom  made  him  an  honor  to  his  country. 
The  following  is  a  clipping  from  the  Greensboro  Patriot : 

"Ralph  Gorrell  departed  this  life  Saturday  morning  last,  at 
4  o'clock,  in  the  73rd  year  of  his  age. 

"His  death  had  been  expected  for  some  time  past,  but  it  is  not 
the  less  mournfully  felt  by  the  community  in  which  he  had  lived, 
respected  and  beloved,  for  over  three  score  years  and  ten.  He  had 
been  confined  to  his  house  since  last  February  by  disease,  which 
seemed  chiefly  to  affect  his  lungs,  and  for  the  last  two  months  had 
kept  his  bed,  becoming  weaker  until  the  lamp  of  life  gradually 
went  out,  yet  retaining  to  the  last,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  his 
mental  faculties.  Conscious  of  his  situation,  his  last  faltering 
words  to  the  loved  ones  at  his  bedside  were :  'I  am  dying — good- 
bye !' 

"Mr.  Gorrell  had  been  distinguished  in  this  community,  in 
professional  and  public  service,  since  his  early  manhood.  When 
young,  near  fifty  years  ago,  he  was  elected  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and  has  since,  on  many  occasions,  been  chosen  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  to  the  Legislature,  and  has  held  other  places  of  honor  and 
trust  connected  with  the  improvement  and  progress  of  the  State. 
In  every  station  he  was  distinguished  by  fidelity  and  the  wisdom 
and  sound  judgment  of  his  counsels.  Devoted  to  principle  and 
acting  on  deliberately  formed  plans  of  action,  he  never  stooped  to 
the  arts  of  the  demagogue  to  secure  popular  favor.  Hence  the 
solid  respect  in  which  he  has  always  been  held  by  his  fellow-citi- 
zens of  all  parties  and  classes. 

"In  his  profession  of  the  law,  Mr.  Gorrell  furnished  an  ex- 
ample to  every  young  member  of  the  bar  who  would  achieve  an 
honorable  and  desirable  reputation.    His  practice  was  marked  not 


NORTH  C.-!R01.L\'.t.  171 

only  l)v  hi<;h  lu»iu)r  in  his  intfrcDurst-  with  his  hrcthrcn.  hut  hy 
stcrhnj;  honesty  with  his  cHcnts.  A  lahorious  student  and  a  cou; 
scicntious  man.  he  acqnired  and  maintained,  thnni^di  a  lon^j  and 
eheciuered  i)rofessional  career,  the  cliaraeter  of  a  safe  counsellor 
antl  ahlc  advocate. 

'In  adihtion  to  losses  by  the  war  and  frequent  suffering:  from 
hodilv  disease  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life.  Mr.  Gorrell  endured 
family  afllictions  more  than  usually  fallinjj  to  the  lot  of  man.  He 
had  buried  one  dauj^hter.  just  bloominij  into  womanh<x»d.  Five 
sons  were  claimed  by  the  jjrave — three  of  them  before  maturity, 
one  just  as  he  was  entering:  public  life  with  hi^h  hope  of  the 
future,  one  on  the  battlefield  at  the  head  of  his  company,  and  a 
son-in-law  at  the  sad  cont1a.c:ration  of  the  Spotswood  Hotel,  in 
Richmond." 

r.ii.Mi-K. 

About  the  name  of  Gilmer  clusters  much,  not  only  of  the 
history  of  Guilford  County,  but  also  that  of  the  State  and  Nation. 
Coming  to  Guilford  County  in  company  with  other  Scotch-Irish 
from  Ireland,  by  way  of  Pennsylvania,  they  settled  near  Alamance 
Church.  William  Gilmer,  an  active  Whig  of  the  Revolution,  be- 
longed to  Capt.  Arthur  Forbis'  Company  at  the  Battle  of  Guilford 
Courthouse.  Where  they  stood  their  ground,  deserted  by  all  the 
militia  of  North  Carolina ;  their  leader  fell,  a  martyr  patriot  to  the 
cause  of  American  liberty. 

Capt.  Robert  Shaw  Gilmer  was  the  first  son  of  William  Gil- 
mer. His  wife's  father  was  Major  John  Forbis,  another  hardy 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian  of  the  earliest  history  of  Piedmont 
Carolina  civilization. 

John  Adams  Gilmer  was  the  son  of  Capt.  Robert  Shaw  Gil- 
mer. He  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  State  and  in  the 
United  States  before  the  Civil  War.  His  service  in  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  was  during  the  term  immediately  jireceding 
the  Civil  War.  He  exerted  all  the  energy  of  his  powerful  will  to 
turn  the  current  which  was  fast  leading  to  disunion.     He  was  the 


172  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

warm  personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  by  whom  he  was 
offered  the  place  of  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Without  hesitation 
he  declined,  taking  part  with  the  South,  and  soon  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Confederate  Congress  at  Richmond.  "He  supported  Gov- 
ernor \'ance  in  preserving  for  his  people  civil  liberty  amid  the 
clash  of  arms  and  the  desperate  resistance  of  a  high-spirited  na- 
tion, overpowered  by  superior  numbers  and  more  abundant 
wealth."     (See  Century  Magazine,  January,  1888.) 

John  Adams  Gilmer  was  born  November  4,  1805,  and  died 
May  4,  1868.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  was 
accustomed  to  the  plow-handles.  At  seventeen  years  of  age,  hav- 
ing acquired  a  fair  English  education,  he  taught  school  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  boarded  at  home  and  dressed  in  clothes  made 
by  his  mother's  hands.  Aided  by  means  earned  in  teaching,  Mr. 
Gilmer  entered,  in  1824,  the  Grammar  School  in  Greensboro,  N. 
C,  taught  by  Rev.  Eli  W.  Caruthers  and  Abner  Gay.  He  boarded 
in  the  home  of  INIrs.  Mebane,  a  friend  of  the  cause  of  education, 
and  a  cultured  woman.  After  two  well-spent  years  in  this  school 
in  closest  company  with  the  classics  of  the  great  languages  and 
with  mathematics — a  combination  which  rarely  fails  to  make  great 
men — Mr.  Gilmer,  though  having  the  advantage  of  culture,  found 
himself  in  debt.  He  went  to  South  Carolina,  where,  in  Lauren's 
District,  he  taught  for  three  years  the  Mount  Vernon  Grammar 
School.  In  1829  he  returned  to  Greensboro,  where  he  studied  law 
with  Hon.  Archibald  D.  Murphy,  a  great  judge,  statesman  and 
scholar  of  the  South.  In  1832  John  Adams  Gilmer  was  licensed 
to  practice  law. 

In  this  year  he  married  Julianna  Paisley,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Wm.  D.  Paisley,  the  first  preacher  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Greensboro.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of  Col.  John  Paisley  and 
General  Alexander  Mebane — soldier- Whigs  of  the  Revolution. 

Thus  reinforced  by  "Poverty,  Patience  and  Perseverance" 
and  a  "good  angel  whose  radiance  guided  and  controlled  me  in 
darkest  hours,"  John  Adams  Gilm.er  came  to  a  bar  already  crowded 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  ITM 

bv  a  hrilliaiU  array  of  the  first  men  of  the  State — John 
M.  Moreheail.  James  T.  Mt>rehea(l.  Thomas  Settle,  Frederick 
Nash.  George  C.  Mentlenhall.  and.  contemporary  with  him, 
Gen.  John  F.  Tointlexter.  for  several  years  solicitor-jjeneral  of 
that  circuit;  William  A.  Graham.  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  lluf^h 
Wadilell.  Ralph  Gorrell.  John  Kerr,  men  of  the  highest  order,  all 
i.^i  them.  Mr.  Gilmer  Iniilt  up  his  professional  practice  alone,  "by 
individual  attention  to  his  business,  by  attending  promptly  to 
everything  committed  to  him.  by  hard  work  and  tireless  energy." 
Early  in  his  career  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Oiunty  Solicitor 
for  Guilford.  In  getting  cases  and  in  gaining  them,  his  career 
was  most  successful. 

\\y  his  eloquent  advocacy  and  uncommon  i)owcr  of  winning 
men,  he  was  in  the  front  rank  of  those  who  worked  for  internal 
improvements  in  this  State,  and  who  induced  an  economic  and 
unprogressive  Legislature  to  agree  to  subscribe,  for  building  a 
great  trunk  railroad  through  North  Carolina,  two  million  dollars, 
conditioned  on  the  previous  subscription  by  individuals  of  one-half 
that  sum.  I'y  energetic  private  work,  by  strong  speeches  in  public 
meetings,  and  by  a  subscription  of  his  own,  he  was  a  great  factor 
in  securing  the  ])erformance  of  the  condition  precedent  necessary 
for  obtaining  the  grant  of  the  State.  Again  in  1854.  through  his 
ettorts.  the  State  appropriated  another  million  dollars  for  finishing 
the  railroad.  His  intluence  and  his  vote  were  given  to  all  the 
measures  entered  upon  in  1848 — navigation  works,  railroads, 
plank  and  turnpike  roads  in  every  section,  the  inauguration  of 
a  progressive  public  school  system,  the  establishment  of  schools 
for  the  deaf,  the  dumb  and  the  blind,  and  for  hospitals  for  the 
insane,  the  geological  survey  of  the  State,  the  State  Agricultural 
Society. 

.After  the  tide  of  public  oj)inion  in  North  Carolina  had  turned 
irresistibly  toward  Democracy,  Mr.  Gilmer  was  chosen  to  oppose 
Thomas  Bragg  for  the  office  of  Governor.  Gilmer  fought  for 
Whig  principles,  but  the  Democratic  party  prevailed. 


174  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

John  Adams  Gilmer  was  a  master  of  oratory.  (See  his  speech 
for  the  estabHshment  of  insane  asyhims  in  North  CaroHna  Third 
Reader.) 

John  Alexander  Gilmer,  a  son  of  John  Adams  Gilmer,  was 
born  in  Greensboro,  X.  C.,  April  22,  1838,  and  died  Alarch  17, 
1892.  He  was  a  graduate,  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  of 
the  class  of  1858.  He  began  the  study  of  law  with  his  father  in 
i860.  He  had  completed  his  law  course  at  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, when  he  entered  the  partnership  of  his  father  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  At  the  beginning  of  the  War  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Guilford  Grays,  which  was  organized  at  Fort  Macon,  S.  C., 
in  April,  1861,  into  the  Ninth  and  later  into  the  Twenty-seventh 
Regiment  of  North  Carolina.  In  1862  he  had  been  promoted  to 
]\Iajor,  and  was  in  command  at  Newbern,  N.  C.  At  the  Battle 
of  Sharpsburg  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  the  Battle  of 
Fredericksburg  he  was  wounded,  and  again  he  was  wounded  at 
the  Battle  of  Bristow  Station,  where  the  Guilford  Grays,  all  except 
three  men,  were  either  wounded  or  killed.  He  was  assigned  to 
duty  at  Salisbury,  N.  C. 

In  1864  he  returned  to  Greensboro  and  resumed  his  practice 
of  the  law.  Governor  Worth  appointed  him  Adjutant-General  of 
the  State.  In  1868,  in  the  convention  at  Raleigh,  N.  C,  he  was  a 
delegate,  but  was  counted  out  by  General  Canby,  at  Charleston, 
S.  C.  Gilmer  was  the  forlorn  hope  of  the  people  to  battle  with 
Canby  and  the  recently  enfranchised  blacks  and  carpetbaggers  in 
the  Loyal  League.  In  1870  he  was  elected  Senator  from  Alamance 
and  Guilford,  receiving  a  majority,  though  at  the  time  of  "Kirk's 
cut-throats"  undisputed  sway.  In  1879  ^^e  was  appointed  Judge 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Fifth  District,  and  to  the  same  office 
in  1880.  He  held  courts  in  every  county  of  the  State.  In  1891 
he  resigned  this  judgeship,  having  served  with  integrity. 

Judge  Gilmer  was  a  member  of  the  National  Convention 
which  met  in  New  York  in  1868.  Judge  Gilmer  was  a  stockholder 
in  the  National  Bank  of  Greensboro,  the  North  Carolina  Railroad 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  175 

Company,  ami  was  iiUiTostcl  in  any  inovcniont  that  jKoniotftl 
tlie  industrial  welfare  of  Greensboro  or  North  Carolina.  Full  of 
love  lor  his  native  huul  ami  the  atlvancenunt  of  her  people,  he  won 
a  rijjht  to  their  hijj:h  rej^anl.  worthv  of  his  father's  son. 

Jmljjc  John  Alexantler  Gihner  was  married  July  14.  liM^, 
to  Miss  Sallie  L.  Lintlsay.  a  daui^hter  of  Hon.  Jesse  H.  Lindsay, 
who  was  the  first  president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Greensboro, 
N.  C. 

I  t^ive  below  some  newspaper  cli])i)in^;s  which  show  something 
of  the  character  of  John  A.  Gilmer: 

(Judge  Gilmer  fur  Governor.) 

HON.  JOHN  A.  CILMKR. 

Some  weeks  ago,  we  lioistcd  at  our  mast  head  the  name  of  this  pure 
and  patriotic  son  of  North  Carolina  as  our  choice  for  Governor  of  this 
great  Commonwealth.  We  did  not  wish  to  name  a  man  who.se  every 
energies  were  in  seeking  tlie  place;  whose  whole  aim  was  to  become  Gov- 
omor  of  North  Carolina.  Wo  wanted  a  man  that  the  office  was  seeking, 
who,  if  left  to  his  choice  would  prefer  another.  We  wanted  a  man  who 
would  please  the  masses.  C\nc  whom  everybody  loved  and  admired  for  his 
purity  of  character,  untarnished  bv  cliques — rings;  one  whose  sole  record 
has  been  only  as  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  and  whose  fame  is  lauded 
by  the  himiblest  citizen.  Judge  Gilmer  is  known  from  Cherokee  to  Curri- 
tuck, from  \'irginia  to  South  Carolina,  as  one  of  the  purest,  ablest  and  best 
men  in  North  Carolina.  Sound  in  his  political  convictions,  willing  to  swear 
by  what  is  right  and  just  towards  every  one;  possessing  peculiar  attractions 
as  a  speaker,  he  would  instill  such  an  enthusiasm  in  the  Democratic  ranks 
as  no  other  but  the  illustrious  Vance  could  do.  Nominate  him  and  our 
victory  is  assured.  He  does  not  seek  the  ofticc  but  would  prefer  to  be  left 
alone. —  (Paper  not  known).* 

"aTTPNTION  !     COOKK's  BRIGADK, 

And  all  other  soldiers  and  true  men  of  North  Carolina.  At  no  distant  date 
you  are  to  nonnnate  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  and  this 

is  to  call  your  attention  and  ask  you  to  rally  to  the  support  of  one  of  our 
old  comrades,  a  man  you  all  know  but  to  love.    One  who  in  all  the  walks 

•  People  who  knew  him  »«v  th.-it  Judee  Gilmer  wai  one  of  North  Cnrolin.i'»  fcrentett 
men.  He  wa*  brave,  and  did  not  shirk  his  part  in  the  world's  work,  lie  was  true  and 
lovely  in  his  life,  and  men  loved  to  honor  him. 


176  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

of  life  has  reflected  only  honor  to  his  name  and  State.  Who  as  a  soldier 
honored  the  ofiicers  and  private  soldiers  of  his  command  alike  so  long  as 
they  were  gentlemen.  One  who  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  when  shot 
down  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  his  men  lay  thick  around  him,  and  the 
storm  of  battle  made  many  true  hearts  beat  quick  with  terror,  could  rise 
up  in  his  glorious  manhood  and  unselfish  devotion  to  his  men,  and  com- 
mand the  litter  bearers,  who  were  anxious  to  remove  their  beloved  Colonel 
out  of  danger,  'To  remove  these  poor  fellows  first,  he  could  wait,  though 
unable  to  move.'  John  A.  Gilmer  is  the  man,  you  all  recollect  him;  tell 
your  neighbors  and  friends  of  other  commands  about  him.  There  are  other 
good  men  in  North  Carolina,  but  none  better.  And  you  know  he  is  a 
modest  man,  and  will  not,  like  some,  push  himself  forward,  and  I  call  on 
Cooke's  N.  C.  Brigade,  his  comrades  who  knew  him  well,  and  are  composed 
of  men  from  the  cloud-capped  hills  of  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  restless,  roll- 
ing breakers  of  the  Atlantic.  *  *  *  I  call  on  you.  one  and  all,  to  go  to 
your  county  conventions,  tell  your  neighbors  and  friends  of  his  gentleness 
in  peace,  of  his  valor  in  war,  and  come  in  your  mighty  strength  to  the  State 
convention  and  hand  our  Democratic  Banner  to  John  A.  Gilmer  and  our 
victory  will  be  sure. — A  Voice  from  the  East."  {The  Farmer  and  Me- 
chanic.) 

(Judge  Gilmer  would  not  allow  his  name  to  come  before  the  con- 
vention.) 

Jeremy  Forbis  Gilmer,  soldier,  was  born  in  Guilford  County, 
North  Carolina,  February  23,  1818.  He  was  graduated  at  the 
United  States  Military  Academy  in  1839,  third  in  honor  of  his 
class.  He  entered  the  engineer  corps  and  was  engaged  in  building 
forts  and  in  making  surveys,  and  in  river  and  harbor  improve- 
ments, until  the  Civil  War,  when  he  resigned  his  position  as  Cap- 
tain of  Engineers  and  entered  the  Confederate  Army.  In  1861  he 
entered  the  service,  and  was  Chief  Engineer  on  General  Albert 
Sidney  Johnston's  staff.  In  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  he  was  severely 
wounded.  Upon  recovery  he  was  made  Chief  of  the  Engineer 
Bureau  at  Richmond.  In  1863  he  was  promoted  to  i\Iajor-Gen- 
eral  and  ordered  to  Charleston  to  direct,  her  defenses.  After  the 
War  he  engaged  in  railroads  and  other  enterprises  in  Georgia.  He 
was  an  honorable  man. 

•Joseph  Whitfield  Gilmer  was  born  April  3,  1819,  and  died 
IMarch  16,  1887.    For  many  years  he  was  county  surveyor,  serving 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  1 '  < 

before  an.l  after  the  Civil  War.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Le^Mslature.  where  he  served  in  the  lower  honse  for  two 
sessions.  He  was  a  rulinj,'  elder  in  Alamance,  for  thirty-two  years 
Clerk  of  the  Session. 

IIOSKINS. 

The  lU^skins  family  was  amonj^  the  first  settlers  of  the 
Conntv.  loseph  Hoskins.  the  pioneer  of  the  family  in  Guilford, 
came  from  Chester  County.  Tennsylvania,  in  the  year  1773,  havinj; 
obtained  from  Earl  Granville  a  prant  for  a  large  tract  of  land 
near  (aiilford  Courthouse,  on  the  waters  of  Horse  Pen  Creek. 
The  r.attle  of  Guilford  Courthouse  was  fought  on  his  land.  His 
residence  was  situated  about  one-third  of  a  mile  westward  from 
the  first  line  of  battle,  and  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  liritish 
and  used  first  as  Lord  Cornwallis's  headquarters,  and  subsequently 
as  the  hospital  for  his  wounded.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that 
the  home-place  of  this  tract  has  never  passed  out  of  the  ownership 
and  occupancy  of  some  representative  of  the  family. 

Joseph  Hoskins  was  an  ardent  Whig  and  ])atriot  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  shared  with  the  Guilford  men  the  hardships,  dangers 
and  glory  of  the  great  liattle  of  Guilford  Courthouse. 

In  the  year  1789  he  was  made  Sheriff  of  the  County.  b\  ap- 
pointment of  Governor  Samuel  Johnson — the  same  year  that  wit- 
nessed the  ratification  of  the  Federal  Constitution  by  the  State  of 
North  Carolina  and  the  election  of  Alexander  Martin,  his  friend 
and  neighbor,  to  the  governorship  of  the  State,  under  the  new- 
Constitution. 

Ellis  Hoskins,  1795- 1874.  was  a  son  of  Joseph,  and  lived  and 
died  on  the  old  homestead.  He  was  a  courtly.  Christian  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,  and  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist 
I^piscopal  Church.  South.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  181 2- 
14.  Notwithstanding  his  strong  Southern  sympathies,  he  had  a 
son  who  was  a  distinguished  or"ficer  in  the  Union  Army — Col. 
Jesse  K.  Hoskins.  who  had  settled  in  Kentucky  prior  to  the  conflict. 


178  GUILPORD  COUNTY, 

Jesse  E.  survived  the  War,  and  achieved  distinction  in  the  legal 
profession  in  the  State  of  his  adoption. 

Joseph  Hoskins,  1814-1880,  was  a  grandson  of  the  pioneer. 
He  established  himself  at  Summerfield  in  the  year  1845,  leaving 
purchased  the  Charles  Bruce  plantation.  He  was  a  large  land- 
owner and  a  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  tobacco  in  this  County. 

The  family  has  furnished  two  Sheriffs  for  the  County — the 
afore-mentioned,  and  Joseph  A.  Hoskins,  of  the  present  genera- 
tion, who  owns  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead  at  Summerfield. 

In  the  years  just  preceding  the  Civil  War,  many  of  the 
family  of  this  name  removed  to  Indiana,  Ohio  and  other  Western 
States.  They  went  along  with  the  steady  stream  that  left  this 
County  and  State  and  peopled  the  great  Middle  West. 

The  English  ancestor  of  the  family  came  over  with  William 
Penn  to  Philadelphia,  in  1682. 

MAJOR  CHARLES  MANLY  STEDMAN. 

Major  Chas.  M.  Stedman,  president  of  the  North  Carolina 
Bar  Association,  is  a  resident  of  Greensboro.  He  was  born  in 
Chatham  County.  His  father  and  mother  were  Nathan  and 
Euphamia  Stedman.  When  twelve  years  old,  the  family  moved 
to  Fayetteville.  At  sixteen  he  entered  the  University  of  North 
Carolina.  There  he  showed  brilliancy  as  a  student  and  orator. 
When  Mr.  Buchanan,  President  of  the  United  States,  visited  the 
University  in  1859,  young  Stedman,  a  member  of  the  Sophomore 
class,  was  chosen  by  the  Phi  Society  as  one  of  the  orators  for  the 
occasion.    In  1861  Mr.  Stedman  graduated  with  highest  honors. 

He  soon  enlisted  in  the  Army  of  the  Confederate  States,  vol- 
unteering as  a  private  in  the  Fayetteville  Independent  Light  In- 
fantry. He  served  that  company  in  the  First  North  Carolina 
Volunteers  at  the  Battle  of  Bethel,  June  10,  1861.  When  the 
Forty-fifth  North  Carolina  Regiment  was  organized,  he  was 
elected  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Chatham  Company  (E).  The 
regiment  was  sent  to  \'irginia,  where  Major  Stedman  served  under 


MAIOK  C.   M.  STICDM.W, 


NORTH  C.tROIJXA.  ITU 

Lee  in  most  of  the  cainpaiijn.  He  was  promoted  to  Captain  of 
his  company,  then  to  he  Major  of  his  rejjfiment.  As  Major  he 
serve-l  in  command  at  many  hattles,  never  shirking;  a  duty.  He 
has  the  distinction  of  beinj^  one  of  the  twelve  Confederate  soldiers 
who  were  enijaged  in  the  first  battle  at  I'.ethel  and  who  surrcii- 
ilered  with  Lee  at  Appomattox. 

After  the  war.  Major  Stedman  bcjja'n  life  anew,  cnterinj^  his 
profession  as  a  lawyer.  He  studied  law  with  Hon.  John  Manning, 
at  rittsboro,  meanwhile  teachinjj  school.  In  1867  he  settled  in 
Wilminjjton  and  soon  had  built  up  a  larjje  and  lucrative  practice. 
In  1884  he  received  the  nomination  of  the  Democratic  party  for 
Lieutenant-Governor  and  was  elected  to  that  oftke  on  the  ticket 
with  (?iOvernor  Scales. 

When  nominated,  he  resipied  the  attorneyships  which  he 
held  for  several  railway  systems,  believinfr  that  to  be  his  duty 
upon  entering  otticial  life.  As  President  of  the  Senate,  he  made  a 
brilliant  record,  and  won  the  encomium  of  being  the  best  presiding 
ofticer  in  the  State.  Major  Stedman  has  received  many  honors  in 
this  State.  In  1880  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention 
which  nominated  General  Hancock.  In  1866  he  married  Miss 
Kate  DeRossett.  daughter  of  the  late  Joshua  G.  Wright,  of  Wil- 
mington. 

THOM   F.\.MILV. 

This  family  migrated  from  Scotland  to  Irelaml.  and  thence 
to  America.  In  1750.  John  Thorn  entered  a  plot  of  land  south 
and  east  of  Guilford,  and  built  his  home  there.  He  married  Miss 
Catherine  Kerr,  of  another  Scotch-Irish  family  living  near  by. 
They  had  thirteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  lived  to  old  age.  Nine 
of  these  reared  large  families,  from  whom  are  descended  many  of 
the  first  families  of  Greensboro  and  Guilford  County.  At  their 
old  homestead,  Daniel  Thom  brought  up  his  large  family  of  chil- 
dren. The  place  is  still  owned  by  the  youngest  son  of  Daniel 
Thom — Rev.  William  Francis  Thom,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Gulf.  N.  C.     It  is  interesting  and  somewhat  singular 


180  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

that  the  family  of  John  Thorn  and  the  famiUes  of  his  sons  gave 
each,  with  one  exception,  a  son  to  the  Presbyterian  ministry.  For 
sixty  years  this  family  have  had  a  representative  in  the  service  of 
the  Church. 

Many  of  the  male  members  of  the  family  moved  West,  so 
that  the  name  is  almost  extinct  in  the  County.  Still,  the  descend- 
ants are  numerous.  Rev.  James  Earnest  Thacker,  of  Norfolk, 
Virginia,  is  a  great-grandson  of  the  pioneer,  John  Thom.- 

John  Thorn  was  a  strict  Presbyterian,  thoroughly  teaching 
his  children  in  this  doctrine.  Many  a  winter's  evening  around  a 
glowing  fireplace,  with  dignity  and  solemnity,  he  required  his 
children  to  recite  the  Shorter  Catechism. 

His  oldest  child  was  born  in  1771,  and  his  youngest  in  1796. 
During  the  Revolutionary  War  he  was  away  from  home,  fighting 
for  the  freedom  of  America.  He  was  in  the  regular  army,  and 
was  consequently  not  with  the  militia  at  the  Battle  of  Guilford 
Courthouse.  His  family  cared  for  those  wounded  soldiers,  how- 
ever. 

John  Thom  was  a  ruling  elder  in  Alamance  Church  prior 
to  the  Revolution.  Among  the  other  charter  members  here  were 
Wiley's,  Finlys,  McBrides,  McGeachys,  Stuarts,  Donnells,  AIc- 
Ivers,  Humphreys.  In  Church  and  State  they  have  a  record  of 
integrity  and  heroic  patriotism. 

Amos  Ragax  was  born  in  Davidson  County,  February  25, 
1824 — was  a  son  of  Amos  and  Elizabeth  Ragan.  His  father  died 
when  his  son  Amos  was  a  mere  child.  Never  went  to  school  but 
three  months  in  his  life.  Had  no  school  advantages.  Had  to 
work  to  support  his  mother.  At  fourteen  years  of  age  he  went 
to  JMissouri  and  spent  five  years  on  the  ranches,  trading  in  cattle 
and  taking  them  to  St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  other  large  markets, 
and  disposing  of  them.  He  then  went  to  Tennessee  and  spent  two 
years  selling  machinery  in  that  State,  Virginia  and  Georgia. 

\\'hile  still  a  young  man  he  returned  to  North  Carolina  and 
settled  in  Guilford  County,  at  what  was  then  called  Bloomington, 


\  \l(  -  \i  \l.  \  \  . 

IIK.II    HUNT.    N.    C. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  l»l 

and  enjijaj^fd  in  the  lucrcantilc  husincss  with  Clarkson  ToniUiiSDii. 
For  several  vears  he  did  a  jj^ood  business  in  this  Hne.  for  a  small 
country  place.    In  1851)  he  was  niarrietl  U)  Martha  E.  Kuijlish. 

Since  the  Civil  War  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time  to  farm- 
inij.  He  has  fanns  in  Guilford,  Randolph  and  Davidson  Counties. 
\\  hen  he  first  bought  the  farm  at  liloominj^ton  where  he  now  lives, 
tin-  land  was  so  poor  that  it  would  not  "sprout  peas."  His  farmms 
land  is  now  worth  $100  per  acre,  and  yields  from  twenty-five  to 
fortv  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  He  has  raised  in  one  year  as 
much  as  three  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  from  this  farm.  He  has 
a  farm  of  several  hundred  acres  on  Deep  River,  where  the  fertile 
bottom  lands  are  very  productive  to  raisinjjf  corn.  He  raises  from 
2.500  to  3,000  bushels  of  corn  every  year. 

While  Mr.  Ras^an  has  passed  the  "three  score  and  ten  years," 
yet  he  is  a  very  active  man,  havinjj  a  wonderful  constitution.  He 
can  do  more  work  now  than  most  of  the  younc:  people. 

Hox.  Lkvi  M.  Scott  was  born  in  Rockinji^ham  County,  North 
Carolina.  June  8,  1827.  In  early  childhood  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Guilford  County,  and  his  preliminary  schooling^  wa^ 
obtained  in  the  schools  of  the  latter  county.  Leaving  school  at 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  began  his  active  career  as  a  school-teacher, 
and  at  about  the  same  time  took  up  the  study  of  law.  In  1850  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Greensboro,  X.  C,  and  held  that  office 
for  about  three  years.  In  1852  he  was  licensed  to  practice,  and 
a  year  later  received  the  election  as  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court, 
and  held  that  office  until  1856.  In  the  latter  year,  Mr.  Scott  was 
elected  to  represent  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  served 
a  term  of  two  years.  In  1858  he  was  elected  Solicitor  of  Guilford 
County,  and  for  two  terms  of  four  years  each  most  satisfactorily 
dischargefl  the  duties  of  the  important  jxasition. 

He  was  appointed  as  receiver  of  se(iuestrated  property  by  the 
Confederate  Governemnt  in  1862,  and  was  retained  in  that  cai)acity 
until  the  close  of  the  War,  his  duties  having  been  to  collect  all 
debts  owing  Northern  creditors  from  Southern  debtors,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Confederate  States. 


182  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

After  the  termination  of  hostilities  between  the  North  and 
South,  Mr.  Scott  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  at  Greensboro,  and  his  indefatigability  is  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  during  the  long  period  of  fifty  years  he  has 
practiced  at  the  courts  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  District  he  never 
failed  to  be  in  attendance  at  the  various  sessions. 

He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  State 
Penitentiary  from  1885  until  1889. 

As  a  lawyer  he  has  won  a  name  of  which  he  may  be  proud. 
Dignified  and  able,  his  opinions  carry  weight  wherever  promul- 
gated, and  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  the  most  rigid  integrity  but 
add  to  his  fame  as  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  citizen. 

I\Ir.  Scott  has  been  most  happy  in  his  domestic  relations,  hav- 
ing been  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Weatherly  in  1861. 
Mrs.  Scott  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Andrew  Weatherly,  of  Greens- 
boro. N.  C.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  blessed  union, 
the  surviving  one  being  ^Irs.  Lily  Scott  Reynolds,  now  living  in 
East  Orange,  X.  J. 

Mr.  Scott  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in 
1866  held  the  high  honor  of  Grand  ^Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  State  of  North  Carolina. 

John  D.  Scott,  his  father,  was  born  in  Guilford  County,  N.  C, 
in  1800.  -  He  was  given  a  common  school  education,  and  then 
gave  his  attention  to  agriculture,  and  was  engaged  in  plantmg  all 
his  life.  He  served  as  Colonel  in  the  North  Carolina  Cavalry  for 
many  years,  and  held  his  commission  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War,  being  then  sixty-one  years  of  age.  In  1824  he  married 
Miss  Jane  ]\IcLean,  a  daughter  of  Marshall  McLean,  of  Guilford 
County,  N.  C,  and  three  children  were  the  offspring  of  the  mar- 
riage, their  names  being:  Allan  H.,  of  Guilford  County.  N.  C. ; 
Levi  M.,  of  Greensboro,  N.  C,  and  William  L.  Scott,  who  died  in 
1872.  The  father  died  in  1880,  his  wife  having  preceded  him  to 
rest  in  1845.  John  D.  Scott  was  the  son  of  Adam  Scott,  who  was  a 
native  of  Guilford  County,  N.  C,  where  he  was  born  in  1772.    His 


i.i:\  I  M.  si  (111'. 

or  (.KKI.NSIiUKO,-  N.  C. 


NORTH  CAROLISA.  1S3 

tlcmise  occurred  in  1837.  He  was  a  planter  all  his  life.  His 
father  was  Thomas  Scott,  a  IVnnsylvanian,  who  eini^jratecl  to 
North  Carolina  in  early  manhood,  and  settled  in  Guilford  County. 
The  ancestors  of  the  Hon.  Levi  M.  Scott  on  the  paternal  side  were 
from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  on  the  maternal  side  came  from 
Scotland. 

We  think  it  only  rij^ht  and  jiroijcr  in  s])cakin^  of  those  con- 
ditions that  have  made  Greensboro  what  it  is,  to  call  attention  to, 
a  few  of  the  men  who  have  been  identified  with  its  phenomenal 
p:rowth.  and  standinp:  in  the  front  ranks  of  these,  Mr.  L.  M.  Scott 
holds  a  most  enviable  position  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  profes- 
sion, as  ""Xestor"  of  the  bar  of  Guilford  County,  and  a  gentleman 
of  the  old  school.  Mr.  Scott  is  one  whom  to  know  is  to  admire 
and  respect. 

W.  L.  Scott,  brother  of  L.  M.,  was  licensed  in  1856.  Shortly 
after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  moved  to  Georgia  and  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  Benjamin  H.  Hill.  Their  law  partnership 
was  cemented  by  a  warm  personal  friendship  which  existed  be- 
tween Mr.  Scott  and  the  gifted  orator  and  unimpeachable  states- 
man of  Georgia,  until  the  death  of  the  former  in  1872.  Return- 
ing from  Georgia,  Mr.  Scott  fomied  a  co-partnership  with  his 
brother.  L.  M.  Scott,  under  the  firm  name  of  Scott  &  Scott.  This 
was  the  first  instance  in  the  State  where  relatives  of  the  same 
surname  had  used  the  same  jointly  when  a  partnership  existed 
between  them.  Prior  to  that  time  the  style  was  "Richard  Doe  & 
Son."  or  "Richard  Doe  &  Bro..*'  as  the  case  might  be.  The  ex- 
ample of  Messrs.  Scott  found  many  followers,  and  now  the  style 
is  in  common  use. 

W.  L.  Scott  was  a  read}-  debater  and  very  popular  with  the 
masses.  In  1870  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  but  was  de- 
feated by  General  James  Leach,  a  strong  candidate.  He  served 
as  Colonel  in  the  Twenty-first  Xorth  Carolina  \'oluntcers  in  1861 
and  18O3. 


184  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

SKETCH  OF  THE  RANKIN  FAMILY  OF  GUILFORD  COUNTY. 

The  Rankins  of  Guilford  County  descend  from  two  brothers, 
John  and  WiUiam,  who  came  from  that  part  of  Ireland  settled  by 
the  Scotch  in  the  reign  of  James  I.,  and  were  therefore  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians.  They  first  came  to  Pennsylvania  not  later 
than  1760  and  possibly  as  early  as  1750.  The  exact  time  of  their 
coming  to  Guilford  County  is  not  known,  but  in  1765,  John,  the 
older  brother,  bought  511  acres  of  land  lying  on  the  waters  of 
North  Buffalo,  from  Alexander  McKnight.  A  descendant  of  his, 
Robert  Rankin,  still  living,  owns  a  part  of  this  land,  and  his  title 
is  derived  from  John,  Earl  of  Granville.  In  1772,  John  sold  a  part 
of  this  land,  now  known  as  the  Calvin  Rankin  tract,  to  his  younger 
brother,  William. 

John  Rankin  was  born  in  Ulster  County,  Ireland,  in  1736, 
came  to  Guilford  about  1764,  married  Hannah  Carson,  and  died 
March  2y,  1814.  He  was  buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  Hannah, 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  Buffalo  Church  graveyard.  The  issue 
of  this  marriage  was  eight  daughters  and  three  sons,  as  follows : 
Rebecca,  Jane.  Abby,  Samuel,  Joseph,  Hannah,  Mary.  ]\Iargaret, 
Robert,  Ann,  Ruth. 

Rebecca  married  John  Rankin,  possibly  a  distant  relative  of 
hers,  and  moved  to  Tennessee. 

Jane  married  John  Paisley.  To  them  were  bom :  Celilah, 
who  married  George  Donnell;  Hannah,  who  married  a  ]\Ir.  Shaw; 
Rebecca,  who  married  a  Mr.  Shaw,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married 
James  Gannon. 

Abby  Rankin  married  Cunningham  Smith,  and  moved  to  the 
West. 

Samuel  Rankin  married  Mary  Scott  and  had  issue :  John, 
who  married  and  moved  to  Cabarrus  County ;  Rebecca,  who  mar- 
ried Calvin  McLeon ;  Hannah,  who  married  Rankin  Donnell ; 
Margaret,  who  married  Dr.  Scott,  father  of  J.  W.  Scott,  of  Greens- 
boro; and  Nancy,  who  married  Rhoddy  Hanna. 

Joseph,  fifth  child  of  John  Rankin,  married  Marv  Donnell, 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  IBG 

hv  wlioiu  he  had  issue  as  follows:  Ilarzella,  who  married  Rohert 
\\'o<MU)urn.  the  father  of  Mrs.  \V.  S.  Moon ;  John  C.  who  married 
r.etsy  Denny,  dauj^diter  of  Thomas  Denny:  Persis,  who  married 
lane  ("lilmer:  James  Edmundson,  who  married  and  moved  West; 
khuhama.  who  married  a  Mr.  Thom :  Samuel,  who  married  a 
sister  of  Rev.  C.  H.  Wiley,  by  whom  he  had  three  children — 
Joseph,  killed  in  the  Civil  War;  William  C,  and  Alice. 

By  second  marriai;:e  with  Xancy  Donnell.  he  had  two  chil- 
tlrcn — Thomas,  father  of  A.  L.  Rankin,  and  Mary,  who  married 
Washington  Wharton. 

Hamiah.  sixth  child  of  JoJin  Rankin,  married  Thomas  De'nny. 
Issue  of  this  marriajje :  Eli.  Sannicl.  Hannah,  Thomas,  i'.cttie, 
Xancv.  John,  Peijgy.  Georjj^e. 

Mary,  seventh  chiUl.  married  Thomas  Donnell.  Issue :  Ran- 
kin, Hester,  \'innie. 

Margaret,  eighth  child,  married  John  Xelson.  to  whom  were 
born  Samuel,  Mary,  Ann  and  Melinda. 

Robert  Rankin,  ninth  child  of  John  Rankin,  by  marriage  with 
Margaret  Scott,  had  the  following  children:  William  S.,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Paisley;  Hannah,  who  married  Lear  Donnell;  John 
Calvin,  who  married  a  daughter  of  William  Rankin,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children ;  Jane,  who  married  W.  P.  Wharton ;  William, 
who  married  Mildred  Dick;  John,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
Rankin  Smith :  antl  Famiie.  unmarried. 

Adam,  fifth  child  of  Robert  Rankin,  married  Louisa  Kerr. 

Thomas  Rankin,  sixth  child  of  Robert,  married  a  daughter 
of  William  Rankin,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — W.  H.  Rankin 
and  Xannic.  By  second  marriage  with  Xancy  Wharton,  he  had 
one  son,  Alpheus,  who  married  Zula  Smith,  and  three  daughters — 
Eva,  who  married  Cyrus  Wharton ;  Louisa,  who  married  Lacy 
Paisley,  and  Minnie,  who  married  Myrom  Newell. 

Rebecca,  sixth  child  of  Robert,  married  John  C.  Wharton,  of 
Greensboro. 

By  second  marriage,  with  Margaret  Patterson.  Robert  Ran- 


186  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

kin  had  three  children— Capt.  N.  P.  Rankin,  Robert  Rankin  and 
Capt.  Samuel  Rankin,  who  died  in  Fayetteville,  N.  C.  These 
sons  by  his  last  marriage  all  married  and  have  raised  families. 

William  Rankin,  brother  of  John  Rankin,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1744  and  with  his  brother  John  emigrated  to  America 
between  1750  and  1760,  stopping  a  while  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
afterwards  came  with  the  Scotch-Irish  movement  into  this  county 
about  1764.  Both  he  and  his  brother  John  were  ardent  Whigs  and 
were  hated  by  Governor  Tryon  and  his  adherents  for  their  strong 
Americanism.  After  the  Battle  of  Alamance,  William,  who  was 
present,  was  declared  an  outlaw  b}'  Governor  Tryon  and,  with  fif- 
teen others,  had  to  keep  in  hiding  till  Tryon  left  the  State.  Just 
before  the  Battle  of  Guilford  Courthouse,  Lord  Cornwallis  evinced 
his  hatred  by  camping  on  the  plantations  of  John  and  William 
Rankin  and  destroying  nearly  all  that  was  destructible. 

In  1873  he  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Elizabeth  and  John 
Chambers.  He  died  February  9,  1804,  and  was  buried  along  with 
his  wife  and  wife's  father  and  mother  in  Buffalo  Church  grave- 
yard. To  them  were  born  four  sons  and  five  daughters — Betsy, 
Nancy,  Sallie,  John,  Ann,  Thomas,  Jane,  Robert  and  William,  the 
last  two  twins. 

Betsy  married  Elam  Wharton.  Nancy  married  John  School- 
field,  to  whom  were  born  Betsy,  Sarah  (who  married  Samuel  tiat- 
rick),  Joseph,  William,  Jane,  John,  Nancy,  Daniel,  Samuel. 

John  Chambers,  fourth  child  of  William,  was  born  March  29, 
1 781,  married  Tabitha  Wharton,  daughter  of  Watson  Wharton, 
Sr.,  and  died  June  6,  1858.  Issue  of  this  marriage:  Jesse.  Jane, 
Martha,  William  (who  died  young),  Malinda,  Watson,  John  C, 
Tabitha  and  Samuel. 

Ann  married  Samuel  Donnell  and  had  one  child,  Emsley  Dou- 
nell. 

Thomas,  sixth  child  of  William,  married  ^Martha  ^IcOuistian. 
Issue  of  this  marriage:  Albert,  r^Ioses,  Elizabeth,  Lavina.  William, 
Nancy,  Robert,  Pollie. 


XORTIl  C.lliOHX.l.  1S7 

Jane  Rankin,  seventh  cliiltl  of  William,  niarritd  l".li  Smith. 
Issue:  MacUson.  William  Rankin  and  Xancv. 

Robert  Rankin,  eighth  child  of  William,  married  Sarah  Lee. 
Is>;ue:  John  C.  Jane.  William,  h'mily.  Alfred  and  (ireene. 

William,  ninth  child  of  William.  Sr..  and  twin  brother  of 
Robert,  married  Thankful  Smith.  Issue  of  this  marria.i;e:  Hannah 
and  Xancy. 

Tile  descendants  of  the  brothers.  John  and  William,  now 
found  in  this  county  ami  in  three-fourths  of  the  States  of  the 
Union,  now  number  over  one  thousand  souls.  The  immediate 
descendants  of  the  two  brothers.  W'illiam  and  John,  lived  at  a 
period  and  under  conditions  that  "tried  men's  souls."  They 
"soujjfht  out,  wrought  out  and  fouij^ht  out"  their  way  in  the  new 
world,  makincf  history  but  leavinc^  little  record  of  it.  (^n  every 
battlefield  from  Alamance  to  Appomattox  descendants  of  these 
brothers  have  been  found,  struj^j^linp;  for  what  they  believed  to  bo 
right. 

SKETCH   OF  THr:   WHARTON   FAMU.V   oK  (,LIIJ-()U1)  COINTV. 

Watson  Wharton,  Sr.,  the  progenitor  of  the  Wharton  family 
of  this  county  and  of  more  than  a  thousand  others,  who  lived  or 
have  lived  in  nearly  every  Southern  State  and  in  many  of  the 
X'^rthern  States,  w^as  born  in.  England.  perhai)s  in  the  town  of 
Wharton,  June  22,  1746. 

His  father,  Hinman,  and  mother,  Mary,  were  born,  accord- 
ing to  statistics  found  in  an  old  famliy  Uible,  now  scarcely  legible, 
about  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  were  married  about  1729.  Save 
the  names  and  date  of  birth,  nothing  is  known,  of  Watson  Whar- 
ton's brothers  and  sisters.     Their  names  are  as  follows : 

EIi;^abeth  Wharton,  born  September  29.  1731;  David  Whar- 
ton, bom  April  27,  1733;  Mary  Wharton,  born  July  30,  1735;  Hin- 
man Wharton,  horn  December  20.  1737;  Catherine  Wharton,  born 
August  30,  1740;  Rhoda  Wharton,  born  January  18.  1742. 

As  there  are  numerous  branches  of  the  Wharton  familv  in 


188  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

the  United  States  not  directly  traceable  to  Hinman  or  his  son  Wat- 
son, it  is  not  improbable  that  they  may  have  a  common  origin 
further  back  in  the  twilight  of  the  past.  There  are  families  of 
Whartons  living  in  Virginia,  Texas  and  Tennessee  who  trace  their 
line  back  to  Lord  Thomas  Wharton,  who  in  1622  was  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland.  In  history  he  was  called  "Veto  Tom"  and 
sometimes  "Lying  Tom."  One  of  his  descendants,  Phillip  Whar- 
ton, was  one  of  Cromwell's  generals. 

It  matters  little  whether  Watson  Wharton  was  descended 
from  "Lying  Tom"  or  not.  That  his  descendants,  wherever  found, 
have  been  and  are  in  the  main  honest,  industrious,  independent, 
God-fearing,  patriotic  citizens,  who  have  made  the  world  better 
for  living  in  it,  is  a  matter  of  far  greater  import  than  to  be  able 
to  trace  their  origin  back  to  a  "belted  knight,"  who  seems  to  have 
been  somewhat  careless  in  handling  the  truth.  In  the  language  of 
Scotland's  greatest  bard : 

*"A  King  can  make  a  belted  Knight. 
A  marquis,  duke  and  a'  that, 
But  an  honest  man's  aboon  his  might 
Gude  faith  he  mauna  fa'  that — 
The  rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp, 
The  man's  the  gowd  for  a'  that." 

On  attaining  his  majority,  Watson  Wharton  came  to  America 
about  1767  and  settled  at  first  in  Maryland,  where  he  married  a 
lady  whose  maiden  name  the  writer  of  this  sketch  has  been 
unable  to  ascertain.    The  issue  of  this  marriage  is  as  follows : 

Elam,  born  1770;  Jesse,  born  1771,  died  in  infancy;  Elisha, 
born  1774,  died  aged  nearly  90  years;  Tabitha,  born  1776,  died 
1855 ;  John,  who  married  a  daughter  of  William  Rankin  and 
moved  to  Tennessee  more  than  sixty  years  ago ;  Gideon,  born  1781, 
married  Mary  Woodburn  and  moved  West;  Martha,  born  1783, 
married  Arthur  W^oodburn,  had  five  children — Watson,  William, 
Elam,  Emsley,  Tabitha. 

*I  wonder  a  good  deal  about  all  these  people  in  this  book.  I  wonder  also  what  are 
their  traits.  1  will  be  likely  to  find  out  by  the  time  I  have  sold  the  last  copy.  What  1  know 
then  will  be  something  of  "value,  perhaps. 


i 


Mu.  i:.  I',  wuautdn, 

PKIXDKNT    M)ITHKKN    LOAN    ASM)   TKI' 
OK  wKKKNSIM)K(«.  N.  C. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  iH'J 

By  a  scc«Mnl  inarria.u'c  with  Aiij^vU-tta.  nci-  l-*vaiis,  Ik-  had  t.iic 
son.  Hvans,  born  1785.  Soon  after  tlic  birth  of  his  youiig:tst  son, 
Kvans.  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Guilford  County,  17H5  or  1786, 
and  liouijht  from  I'.lackwood  a  tract  of  land  acceded  to  him  in  1755 
by  the  b'arl  of  Granville.  \V.  1*.  Wharton,  a  ^^reat-j^^randson  of 
Watson  Wharton,  now  owns  and  lives  on  this  same  land. 

( )f  his  personal  characteristics,  little  is  known.  Mr.  David 
Wharton,  a  jjrandson,  now  in  his  ninety-ninth  year,  recalls  that 
he  was  a  man  of  almost  .tjiant  proportions,  weij^hinf^  nearly  three 
hundred  pounds,  that  he  was  somewhat  irascible  and  very  much 
j::iven  to  havings  his  own  wav.  In  politics,  he  was  a  staunch  Whip:, 
in  reliijion  a  Presbyterian,  as  have  been  nearly  all  his  descendants. 
That  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  means  for  those  days  is  evi- 
dent from  the  \2ir^Q  amount  of  lands  jnirchased  and  the  mortj^ap:es 
made  to  secure  monies  loaned  by  him.  He  died  in  18 13,  and  was 
burietl  in  lUifFalo  churchyard. 

Klam  Wharton,  his  oldest  son,  married  P.etsy,  oldest  dau.t,diter 
of  William  RanUin,  the  prog^enitor  of  one  branch  of  the  Rankin 
family  in  this  county.  Issue  of  this  marriag^e:  Joseph,  Jesse.  Wil- 
liam, Lemuel,  Robert,  Jennie,  Isabella,  Martha. 

Robert,  fifth  child  of  Elam.  married  Melinda  Nelson  and  died 
in  1876,  leaving:  two  sons  and  two  daug;hters.  James,  his  oldest 
son,  a  merchant  of  Jamestown,  married  Margaret  Armfield. 

Elisha,  third  son  of  Watson  Wharton,  was  born  in  Maryland 
in  1774,  came  with  his  father  to  Guilford  County  when  about  ten 
years  old,  married  Elizabeth  Schoolfield  in  1796,  by  whom  he  had 
the  following:  children:  John,  James,  Nancy,  David,  Martha,  Wat- 
son, Schoolfield  (who  died  in  infancy).  Eliza.  Milton  (who  died 
unmarried). 

r.y  second  marriag^e  with  Martha  Porter  he  had  four  sons 
and  one  daug^hter:  Porter,  Samuel,  Minerva,  Paisley  and  Wash- 
ington, the  last  two  being  twins. 

John  Wharton,  oldest  son  of  Elisha  Wharton,  born  \~y)~, 
married  Rhoda  Webb,  bv  whom  he  ha<l  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 


190  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

ters :  ]\Ielinda,  who  married  Levi  Foust ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Rankin  Smith,  and  had  five  children — Nannie,  William,  Zula, 
Mary  and  Lizzie. 

Green  Wharton,  third  child  of  John  Wharton,  married  ^lal- 
vina  Donnell.  To  them  were  born  two  sons  and  three  daughter? : 
Watson,  John  W.,  Bettie,  Emma  and  Mary. 

William  P.  Wharton,  fourth  child  of  John  Wharton,  Sr.,  mar- 
ried Emily  Rankin,  who  died  without  issue.  By  second  marriage 
with  Jane  Rankin  he  had  two  sons — Walter  and  Leslie — and  two 
daughters — Carrie  and  Lizzie. 

John  W.  Wharton,  Jr..  youngest  son  of  John  Wharton,  Sr..  by 
first  marriage,  married  Alartha  Edwards.  Issue :  Ruth,  Roy, 
Linda,  Rhoda. 

By  second  marriage  with  Jane  Bennett,  John  Wliarton,  Sr., 
had  ten  children — C.  A.  Wharton  and  Eugenia,  who  died  without 
issue. 

John  W.  Wharton,  son  of  Green  Wharton,  married  Sallie 
McNairy.     They  have  four'children. 

James,  second  son  of  Elisha  Wharton,  born  1799,  married 
Jane  Rankin,  daughter  of  John  C.  Rankin,  died  1822.  They  had 
only  one  son — John  C.  Wharton,  now  living  in  GreensDoro.  in  his 
seventy-ninth  year.  He  married  Rebecca  Rankin,  daughter  of 
Robert  Rankin,  Sr.  Issue  of  this  marriage :  James,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Alice,  who  married  Wm.  Ratlifif;  Mary,  who  married 
Rev.  Wm.  Graves ;  E.  P.  Wliarton,  who  married  Ida  Murray ; 
Annie,  who  married  Edwin  Shaver ;  Emma,  who  married  S.  C. 
Smith;  Lizzie,  unm.arried;  Jesse  R.,  who  married  a  Miss  Xoves 
and  now  lives  in  Butte  City;  William,  a  merchant,  living  in  the 
State  of  Washington. 

Nancy,  third  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  married  George  Find- 
ley  and  went  to  Missouri.  Issue  of  this  marriage:  Rufus,  James, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Martha,  Angeline,  John. 

David  Wharton,  fourth  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  was  born 
December  18,  1803,  and  is  still  living,  in  his  ninety-ninth  year.    In 


XORTH  C.-iROLlN.l.  I'Jl 

1S26  hi'  marriot!  Elizahith  Donncll.  by  whom  hf  ha»l  tlircc  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons,  viz  : 

Khzabcth.  who  married  Dr.  Jos.  A.  McLean.  To  them  were 
born  Juha.  Cora.  Cliarles.  W'aher.  John.  Archibald  and  Jesse  R. 

Juha  Wharton,  who  married  Rev.  C.  K.  Caldwell  and  died 
soon  after  marriatje. 

Mary  Wharton,  who  married  John  C.  Cannon.  Issue  of  this 
marriatje :  Julia.  I'.essie.  ICllen.  Mary.  Howard.  I'annie.  Emma  and 
John. 

John  Wharton,  son  of  David,  married  Pattic  Cole,  daup^hter 
of  Dr.  J.  L.  Cole.  Moved  to  Texas  in  1869.  and  now  lives  in 
Sherman.  Issue  of  this  marriasj^e :  John.  Hattie,  Mary,  William 
and  .Xnnie. 

William  D.  Wharton,  younpfcst  son  of  Davkl  Wharton,  mar- 
ried Mary  Wharton.  dau}^hter  of  Xewton  Wharton.  Issue:  Wal- 
lace, who  married  Cordelia  Hap^an ;  Lacy,  who  married  Lizzie 
Wharton:  Charles,  who  married  Daisy  Gilmer:  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Rev.  Samuel  Rankin. 

\\y  second  marriap:c  with  Jane  Gilmer  he  had  two  children — 
Hattie  and  Gilmer. 

Martha,  fifth  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  married  Jesse  Smith. 
To  them  were  born  the  followinc^  children  :  Anj^elina,  John.  Lafay- 
ette. Eli.  William.  Madison,  Adison.  Isabella.  Rufus  and  Martha. 

Watson  Wharton.  Jr..  sixth  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  was 
born  1809,  marriad  Melinda  Rankin  and  died  1S71.  Issue  of  this 
marria<;:e:  Jesse  R.  and  Jane  E. 

Jesse  married  Mattie  Turner  and  had  two  children — Minnie, 
who  died  in  1876,  and  Turner  A.  Wharton,  now  pastor  of  a 
church  in  Memphis. 

By  a  second  marriage  with  Mary  Rankin,  he  had  four  sons — 
Henry,  who  married  Nora  Graves  :  Ernest,  Lee  and  Robert. 

Jane  E.  married  Dr.  J.  Rumple,  of  Salisbury,  and  had  two 
sons  and  a  daughter — Watson.  James  and  Linda. 

Porter  Wharton,  tenth  child  of  Elisha.  married  Xancv  Pat- 


192  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

terson  and  moved  to  Alissouri.  Issue  of  this  marriage:  Samuel, 
Martha,  Mary,  Washington,  JMinerva,  Nancy,  James  and  Mai- 
garet. 

vSamuel,  eleventh  child  of  EHsha  Wharton,  married  Elizabeth 
Kerr  and  had  two  children — Florence,  who  died  unmarried,  and 
Rebecca,  who  married  Lindsay  Stuart. 

Minerva,  twelfth  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  married  James 
Paisley.    Children  of  this  marriage :  John,  Porter,  Lacy,  Annie. 

Rev.  William  Paisley  Wharton,  thirteenth  child  of  Elisha 
Wharton  and  twin  brother  of  Washington  Wharton,  married  and 
died  in  1856,  leaving  one  child. 

Washington,  fourteenth  child  of  Elisha  Wharton,  married 
]\Iary  Rankin,  by  whom  he  had  five  children — Martha,  Corrinna, 
Annie,  Callie  and  Cyrus,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Ran- 
kin. 

Evans  Wharton,  youngest  son  of  Watson  Wharton,  Sr.,  was 
born  1785;  married  Benitha  Calk.  Issue  of  this  marriage:  Lu- 
cinda,  Newton,  Angeletta,  Clinton,  Eliza,  Emiline,  Rufus,  Jane 
and  Francis. 

Lucinda  married  Samuel  Hattrech.  Newton,  by  first  mar- 
riage w^th  Elinor  McMurrav,  had  two  children — Jane  and  Mary. 
By  second  marriage  with  Hannah  McLean,  he  had  one  daughter 
— Dora. 

Angeletta  married  David  Ray.  Issue  of  this  marriage :  Peter 
Ray,  a  deaf  mute,  who  married  a  Miss  Williams,  also  a  mute; 
Fannie,  who  married  Jas.  Bason. 

Clinton  Wliarton,  son  of  Evans,  married  Catherine  Conrad. 
Issue :  Albert,  John,  Ida,  Clinton,  Eva,  Annie. 

Eliza  Wharton  married  David  McLean. 

Nancy  married  Thomas  Rankin.  Issue :  W.  H.  Rankin, 
Nannie. 

Rufus  Wharton  married  Mary  L.  Perry,  of  Beaufort  County. 
Issue  of  this  marriage:  Isabella,  Francis,  Rufus,  Thomas,  David. 

Isabella  married  John  H.  Small. 


NORTH  CAROLINA.  iy;i 

Wharton  married  Capt.  Xat  Rankin.  To  tluin  were  born  two 
sons  aiul  two  dauf^htcrs. 

Tabitha  Wharton,  fourth  child  of  Watson  Wharton,  Sr..  was 
boni  in  Maryland  in  I77^».  married  John  C.  Rankin,  and  died  in 
1856.  Issue  of  this  niarriaf^e:  Rev.  Jesse  Rankin,  JaneT  Martha, 
William,  Melinda.  Dr.  Watson  Rankin,  Dr.  John  C.  Rankin  of 
New  Jersey,  Tabitha  and  Dr.  Samuel  Rankin,  of  Rowan,  X.  C. 

Till-:  WORTH    KAMII.V. 

William  Worth  left  England  in  the  reitjn  of  Charles  II.  His 
preat-};^randson,  Daniel  Worth,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  second 
month,  tenth.  1739;  he  died  in  Guilford  County,  North  Carolina, 
seventh  month,  tenth,  1830.  He  was  marrieil  in  Nantucket  to 
Eunice  Husscy,  a  dauj^hter  of  Paul  and  Sarah  Hussey,  a  descend- 
ant of  Sylvanus  Husscy.  whose  wife  was  a  dauc^hter  of  Stephen 
Coram. 

Joseph  Worth  was  also  married  in  Nantucket  to  Judith  Star- 
buck.  These  people  were  the  Nantucket  settlers  of  Guilford 
County  and  their  descendants  have  done  much  for  civilization  in 
North  Carolina.  Jonathan  Worth,  jjrandson  of  Daniel  Worth  of 
Nantucket  stock.  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  and  Dr.  David 
Worth  were  men  of  g^reat  influence  in  their  day.  Dr.  John  M. 
Worth  was  treasurer  of  North  Carolitia.  His  children  were: 
Shubal  G.  Worth,  Thomas  C.  Worth.  Addie  McAllister  and  Dell 
Bingham. 

Governor  Jonathan  Worth's  children  have  been  men  and 
women  of  integrity  and  strength — David  G.  Worth,  Roxana  Mc- 
Neil, Lucy  J.  Jackson,  Elvira  Moffit.  Cora  Jackson,  Mary  Worth 
and  Addie  Bagley.  Worth  Bagley,  the  young  hero  of  the  Cuban 
War,  was  the  grandson  of  Governor  Worth  and  therefore  a  rejire- 
sentative  of  the  Nantucket  stock  of  Guilford  County. 

Daniel  Worth,  of  Guilford  County,  was  a  man  of  aflairs,  a 
leader  in  the  Society  of  Friends  in  the  State,  trustee  of  Guilford 
College. 


19i  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

William  Worth  was  Treasurer  of  North  Carolina  for  two 
terms  preceding  1901. 

Cyrus  B.  Watson,  a  leading  lawyer  in  the  State,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  Ihe  Worth  family,  and  therefore  a  representative  of  the 
Nantucket  stock  in  North  Carolina. 

John  L.  Worth,  of  Mount  Airy,  North  Carolina,  compiled  a 
chart  of  this  family  in  1900.  The  Worth  family  is  representative 
of  the  Nantucket  in  many  instances  from  both  father  and  mother, 
the  Folgers,  Gardners,  Husseys,  Macys,  Porters,  Starbucks  are 
related  by  marriage  to  them.  Their  religious  belie*  is  that  of  the 
Societv  of  Friends. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

Senators.  Members  of  House  of  Commons. 

1777  Ralph  Gorrell    John  Collier,  Robert  Lindsay. 

1778  Ralph  Gorrell    James  Hunter,  Robert  Lindsay. 

1789    Alex  Martin James  Hunter,  Danl.  Gillespie. 

1780  Alex  Martin James  Hunter,  Wm.  Gowdy. 

1781  Alex  Martin William  Gowdy,  James  Hunter. 

1782  Alex  Martin William  Gowdy,  Jones  Hunter. 

1783  Chas.  Bruce  Jas.  Galloway,  John  Leak. 

1784  Jas.   Galloway    John  Hamilton,  John  Leak. 

1785  Alex  Martin John  Hamilton,  Barzellai  Gardner. 

1786  Wm.  Gowdy John  Hamilton,  B.  Gardner. 

1787  Alex  Martin B.  Gardner,  Wm.  Gowdy. 

1788  Alex    Martin    John  Hamilton,  Wm.  Gowdy. 

1789  Wm.  Gowdy John  Hamilton,  Daniel  Gillespie. 

1790  Daniel  Gillespie Hance  Hamilton,  Robert  Hannah. 

Daniel  Gillespie Robert  Hannah,  B.  Gardner. 

Daniel  Gillespie Robert  Hannah,  B.  Gardner. 

Daniel  Gillespie Robert  Hannah,  B.  Gardner. 

1794  Daniel  Gillespie Robert  Hannah,  B.  Gardner. 

1795  Daniel  Gillespie Hance  Hamilton.  Hance  McCain. 

1796  Ralph  Gorrell B.  Gardner.  Hance  Hamilton. 

1797  Hance  McCain   Hance  Hamilton,  Samuel  Lindsay. 

1798  Hance  McCain   Samuel  Lindsay,  George  Bruce. 

1799  Hance  Hamilton  Samuel  Lindsay,  George  Bruce. 


1 791 
1792 
1793 


NORrn  CAROLIXA.  m, 

Senators.  Members  of  House  of  Commons. 

iSoo  1  laiKc  Hamilton  Samuel  Lindsay.  Jonathan  Parker. 

iSoi  Samuel   Lindsay   Cioortje  Bruce,  Jonathan  I'arker. 

iSoj  Cieorge  Bruce Zaza  Brashicr.  Jonathan  Parker. 

i8o.?  Saml.  Lindsay  Jolm  .Moore.  Jonatlian  Parker. 

1S04  Saml.  Lindsay  John  Parker,  Zaza  Brashier. 

iSo^  Hance   McCain    Z.  Brashier,  Richard  Mendenhall. 

i8c6  1  lance   McCain    Z.  Brashicr,  Richard  .Mendenhall. 

1807  Jonathan  Parker  Robert  Hannah,  John  Howell. 

180S  Jonathan  Parker Robert  Hannah.  John  Howell. 

1800  Jonathan  Parker Robert  Hannah.  John  Howell. 

i^to  Saml.  Lindsay Robert  Hannah,  William  Armfield. 

iSi  I  Jonathan  Parker Robert  Hannah,  John  Howell. 

1S12  Jonathan  Parker John  Howell,  Robert  Lindsay. 

181 3  Jonathan  Parker Obcd  .Macey,  James  Gibson. 

1814  Jonathan  Parker James  Gibson.  James  McXairy. 

1815  Jonathan  Parker Jolin  Howell,  James  McXairy. 

1816  John  Caldwell   James  McXairy,  William  Ryan. 

1817  John  Caldwell   Wm.  Rvan,  Robert  Donncll. 

1818  John  Caldwell   James  McXairy,  William   Dickey. 

1810  John  M.  Dick   R.  Donncll,  William  Dickey. 

1820  John  W.  Caldwell John  Rankin.  David  Xorth. 

1S21  Jonathan  Parker Jolm  Gordon.  Wm.  .Adams. 

1B22  Jonathan  Parker Saml.  Hunter,  David  North. 

182.?  Jonathan  Parker Saml.  I  lunter,  David  Xorth. 

1824  Jonathan  Parker William  Unthank,  James  Xeally. 

1825  Jonathan  Parker F.  L.  Simpson.  William  Unthank. 

1826  Jonathan  Parker F.  L.  Simpson,  John  M.  Morehead. 

1827  Jonathan  Parker F.  L.  Simpson.  John  .M.  Morehead. 

1828  Jonathan  Parker  F.  L.  Simpson,  Geo.  C.  .Mendenhall. 

1829  John  M.  Dick Geo.  C.  Mendenhall,  F.  L.  Simpson. 

18.W)  John  M.  Dick .-Mien  Pceples,  Geo.  C.  .Mendenhall. 

1830  John  M.  Dick .Amos  Weaver,  .Allen  Peeples. 

1832  John  Parker Allen  Peeples,  David  Thomas. 

lS,U  George  C.  Mendenhall David  Thomas,  Allen  Peeples. 

1834  Jonathan  Parker Ralph  Gorrell,  Jesse  H.  Lindsay. 

1835  Jas.  T.  .Morehead   Jesse  H.  Lindsay,  Ralph  Gorrell. 

i8.?6  Jas.  T.  Morehead  Jesse  VI.  Lindsay,  Peter  .Adams,  F.  L. 

Simpson. 

1840  Jas.  T.  Morehead  Jesse  H.  Lindsay.  Wm.  Dick,  David 

Thomas. 


196  GUILFORD  COUNTY, 

Senators.  Members  of  House  of  Commons. 

1842    Jas.  T.  :\Iorehead  Geo.  C.  Mendenhall,  Wm.  Doak,  Jas. 

Brannock. 
1842    Jas.  T.  Morehead  Geo.  C.  Mendenhall,  Wm.  Doak,  Joel 

[McLean. 
1844    Jesse  H.  Lindsay William  Doak,  Joel  [McLean  John  A. 

Smith. 
1846    John  A.  Gilmer Nath.an  Hunt,  E.  W.  Ogburn,  Peter 

Adams. 
1848    John  A.  Gilmer David   F.   Caldwell,   Calvin  Johnson, 

Jas.  W.  Doak. 
1850    John  A.  Gilmer David  F.  Caldwell,  Calvin  Henderson 

Wiley,  Pejer  Adams. 
185,2    John  A.  Gilmer C.  Johnston,  David  F.  Caldwell,  C.  H. 

Wiley. 
1854    John  A.  Gilmer David  F.  Caldwell,  Ralph  Gorrell,  C. 

Johnston. 
1856  '  Ralph  Gorrell    D.  F.  Caldwell,  L.  M.   Scott,  E.  W. 

Ogburn. 
1858    Ralph  Gorrell    John  M.   Morehead,  D.  F.  Caldwell, 

A.  Clapp. 
i860    John  M.  Morehead   C.  P.  .Mendenhall,  C.  E.  Shober.  J.  L. 

Gorrell 
1862     Peter  Adams   S.  AI.  Sherwood,  R.  W.  Glenn,  R.  AL 

Smith. 
1S64    R.  P.  Dick   D.  F.  Caldwell,  A.  Clapp,  A.  S.  Hel- 
ton. 
1866     Peter  Adams  Jas.    Morehead,    Jr.,    J.    S.    Houston, 

W.  R.  Smith. 
1868    E.  Shoffner, 

J.  W.  Walker Stephen  G.  Homey,  David  Hodgin. 

1870  John  A.  Gilmer, 

W.  A.  Smith   Jonathan  Harris,  S.  C.  Rankin. 

1871  Jas.  T.  Morehead, 

Wm.  J.  Murray Joseph  Gilmer,  William  Wiley. 

Nov.  Jas  T.  Morehead,  Jr. 

1873  W.  J.  Murray Joseph  Gilmer,  William  Wiley. 

1874  Jas.  T.  Morehead  

1875  A.  S.  Holton  Nereus  Mendenhall,  John  N.  Staples. 

1876  Thos.  AL  Holt. 

1877  J.  L  Scales  John  Staples,  Lyndon  Swain. 


Senators. 

S70     J.  I.  Scales. 

n.  R  Caldwell  . 
iSSi     J.  .\.  Staples. 
J;m.     H.  Fv  MelKine  .. 
lS8.?      I.  T.  Morehead 


SQRTH  C.lROl.fX.'l.  wr, 

Meinhers  of  House  of  Commons. 

J.    \.   MoI.e.-m.  C.  J.  Wheeler. 

J.  .\.  Picket.  J.  S.  RaRsdalc. 

J.  L.  King.  Jas.  \V.  Forhis. 


Wealth  of  ('■nilf»)rd  County.  t;ikrn  from  the  report  of  the  State  auditor 
for  18.^-55- 

In  the  year  iKs.i.  Walter  .-\.  Winbourne,  as  sheriff  of  Gnilford  County, 
presented  to  the  ronii'trolier-ijeneral  (or  State  auditor)  the  followiuR 
report  : 

Acres  of   land ^77,i^^   So.  I'olU .W..^04 

N'aluation  of  l.ind $i,4iX,q64  Town   prr)perty    $1,7(^.440 


NET   TAX. 


Land   $   800  00 

Town  property  loi  21 

Poll    659  95     Pedlars 

Kunatic  .\sylum   430  92     Taverns 

Interest  received 660  26    Circus 

Dividend  and  profit.  ... 

Lawyers,  etc 

Ciold  Watches 

Silver  Watches 

Pianos   

Plate    


Playing  Cards #       7  05 

Stores  .153  44 

56  40 


23  57     Musicians   

93  06  Negro  Traders 
73  i2     Pistols  

Rowie  Knives  . 

Mortgages    .  . . . 


48  88 
22  56 


5  59     Capital  Invested 


28 

20 

47 

00 

i4 

10 

31 

96 

•  14 

10 

<U 

58 

32 

II 

37 

Pleasure  Carriages    128  31 

$3,694  05 

The  population  of  'aiilford  Comity  in   17QO  was  7. 191  ;  in  1850  it  had 
increased  to  19.754. 

Area  of  (iuilford.  600  square  miles;  number  of  acres,  407,214;  aver- 
age value.   $5.40.      ni<tance    from    Raki.i;h.  Sj  miles. 


J 


